Time
by Lea Cat
Summary: In an alchemy accident, past, present, and future collide. One pair of Elric brothers is bad enough.
1. Chapter 1

**I know I shouldn't be starting new stories…I'm sorry! But I'm experimenting with this…so I'd appreciate feedback. This story was inspired by a picture I saw. Once I relocate it and get the link, I'll put it here.**

**Disclaimer: Peeps, we are on Fanfiction. FANfiction.

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**Time  
****By Lea Cat  
6/24/06

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It had started off as a normal day. Or, as normal as you could get if you were the Elric brothers.

"Brother! Why did you do that!" Al asked in a panicked voice.

"Oh, come on Al. It's no big deal." Ed replied, his tone implying no worries. That only served to aggravate the suit of armor more.

"'No big deal'! We're being chased out of town!" Al ran a little faster to avoid the items the towns' people were now throwing. Ed ran a little further ahead; being of lighter mass, naturally he was quick and speedy. "Next time, think before you punch someone!" Ed had punched someone when he insulted his height; unfortunately, it had been a well respected person. Needless to say, the people were not happy. It reminded him of Lior. Al thought.

"Ha! There you are!" Ed skidded to a halt when he realized he was standing in the middle of a transmutation circle. Clapping his hands together, he attempted to foul up the transmutation. There were two conflicting flashes of light. The lights blended together and got brighter.

An explosion occurred, and it rocked more than one world.

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"Brother? Are you okay?" Al called out. The dust flying everywhere didn't affect him in the least; he didn't have to breathe in the air.

"Yeah, I'm fine…" Ed broke off into a coughing fit. "…hold on…" Ed continued coughing, and it was through that that Al was able to locate him.

"Brother?" Al asked as Ed hacked his lungs out.

"Al? Where are you?"

Al looked around in confusion before calling out, "Here, Brother!"

"…wait…this is--"

"Brother?" Another voice interrupted. Al felt confusion hit full blast; that voice sounded just like—

Someone who looked like Ed appeared in the settling dust. He appeared to recognize both of them. "…You are--"

He never got to finish because a hyper active 11 year old knocked him over, waving his arms frantically in a sad attempt to ward off the dust. Another blonde, this time wearing strange brown and white clothing, appeared as the dust fell. "Al? What did you do this time?" He looked up and saw Al in the armor. His gold eyes widened for a fraction of a second before he was suddenly at Al's side. "Here, give him to me." Al nudged the still coughing Ed into the arms of the familiar looking stranger.

"Excuse me, but who are you?" Al asked.

The stranger gave a very familiar grin. "I am me." Then he turned and yelled at the other person, motioning to the 11 year old. "Grab him!" Apparently, the look-alike to Ed understood and scooped up the child, despite kicking yelling and screaming. The person looked around and pointed at something. "Al, grab it!"

Despite not knowing who the stranger was, Al followed the command and ran to grab a familiar bundle. Without looking, he ran off to follow the already retreating strangers.

"Hey! Get back here!" Several voices shouted, reminding him why he needed to hurry. Al lumbered off into the distance.

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They found a clearing far from the town to rest in. Both strangers collapsed against the trees, and Alphonse found his own brother finally regaining control of his breathing. Edward opened bleary eyes and abruptly snapped to attention when he realized that he was being cradled like a baby by another person. He scrambled up and into a fighting position, transmuting his automail into a blade. "Who are you!" He snarled at the four other people.

The man in brown clothes—who looked remarkably like Ed for some reason—stood up and faced the angry boy. He smirked and said, "You're smarter than that; I would have thought you'd realize it by now. I am you. That is you." He pointed at the child that the other person cradled. "And those two are him." He gestured to the remaining two.

Ed froze in understanding and thought aloud. "Then that would mean--"

Edward smirked again and gave a mock-bow. "I appear to have traveled in time, despite the improbability of it, and our younger counterparts seem to have suffered the same fate."

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**So how was it? I know it was short and probably not the best. I'm really aiming to improve my writing style. (And get this idea out of my head. That's a plus.)**

**Lea Cat**


	2. Chapter 2

**Not sure if I should keep going… I'm not getting FEEDBACK.**

**Disclaimer: Once again…FANfiction…

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**Time  
By Lea Cat  
6/25/06

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"Why are we doing this?"

"Because Mustang can help us."

"No, I meant why am I stuck in the same vicinity with YOU!" 16 year old Edward Elric nearly tore his hair out as his 18 year old counterpart gave a cheeky grin.

It was funny how life worked. The older Ed thought. He had always wanted to change the past, and his wish came true. But he wasn't sure if he still wanted it. His eyes flicked to his brother, who was staring at the armored Al with an unreadable expression. "Al?" Three heads turned to look at him. He ignored two of them and focused on _his_ brother. "Are you alright?"

Al nodded. "I'm fine, Brother." _But being around my armor self is unnerving._

Ed nodded in understanding, catching the unspoken sentence. He turned and observed the two children. They still had that innocence, and despite being dumped in a whole new world, they held up well. As long as you didn't try to separate them, that is. "Ed-chan."

The child version of himself turned and glared. "Don't call me CHAN!" Despite the outburst, Ed knew that he was scared. But for his little brother's sake, he didn't show it.

"What were you two doing before you came here?"

"…"

"There isn't anything you haven't done that I haven't done. So come on, tell me." Ed prodded gently.

Little Ed returned his stare and finally looked away while murmuring, "We were about to break the taboo…"

Edward nodded in understanding. "Well, you can see the results." He waved his hand at the armored Al and his brother. The fear in the younger Ed's eyes rose a notch, and Ed was about to try and comfort him when the train lurched to a stop.

They must have been an odd sight. A few people were giving them odd looks. The Ed of this time marched ahead, deciding that if Mustang hadn't sent them to that town, none of this would have happened. So, therefore, it was Mustang's fault.

"Brother, wait up!" Al shouted, armor clanging with every hurried step he took.

The older Ed and Al sighed and kept to a pace the children could manage.

Meanwhile, Ed continued to march into headquarters. No resistance met him when he headed up to Mustang's office. When he slammed the door open, no one was surprised. "Mustang!" He yelled. "This is YOUR fault!" He plopped on the couch and glared at the colonel. To his irritation, the colonel continued to sign paperwork. "Bastard!" He slammed his hands on top of the desk, jostling all items on it.

"Oh, FullMetal. I didn't see you there behind my paperwork." Mustang gave his infamous smirk and Ed wanted to rip it off his face and dunk his head in a sewer pipe.

"WHO ARE YOU CALLING SO SMALL HE COULDN'T LIFT A SHEET OF PAPER!"

"Tsk, tsk. You really should keep track of your temper."

"Grrr…"

"Brother, tell him the problem."

Ed blinked at the sudden interruption. "Oh…right…well, Colonel Bastard, this problem is your fault, and it's a big one."

Mustang raised an eyebrow. "And what is the problem?"

"I think it's us and the time travel." The older Ed replied abruptly, walking through the door trailed by the other three.

Mustang blinked and attempted to convince himself that he was NOT dreaming…maybe hallucinating…but…He couldn't help but stare at the older Ed. His eyes traveled to the automail right hand that he didn't even bother covering.

The older Ed raised an eyebrow at Mustang's confusion. "What, no welcome?" He asked sarcastically. Under the mask, he was immensely relieved to see another familiar face, even without the eye patch. His attention was diverted by a tug on his sleeve. He looked down into the eyes of little Ed. He stood on tiptoe and leaned upwards to whisper in his older counterpart's ear.

"Who's that?" He whispered.

"Roy Mustang, the guy you wrote a letter to." The other Ed whispered back in conspiracy.

"Oh." The much shorter Ed—proof that Ed _had_ grown over time—leaned back on his heels and looked around, the perfect picture of a bored child.

"When did this happen?"

"Hm?" Six pairs of eyes flitted over and stared at Mustang with frightening intensity.

Mustang fidgeted a bit in his seat before saying, "When did _they_ appear?"

"At the last town, Colonel Bastard, which is why I'm saying this is _your_ fault." The teenaged version glared. Mustang decided right then and there that he liked the adult Edward much better; he was a lot less moody.

"So, it's his fault that you punched someone?" Mustang also concluded that the older Ed was a lot more mature. "I know we have height issues, but I can't _believe_ that I was dumb enough to do that." The teenage and adult Ed had a silent conversation with their eyes before the younger one looked away. The adult looked at his hands. "I'm tired…really tired…and sick of all this trouble."

"Come on…" 11 year old Ed grabbed the older Ed's hand before turning to Mustang and asking, "Hey, Mr. Mustang, do you have a place we could stay?"

Mustang began mentally running over locations. "Can't stay in the barracks…hotels are too expensive…oh! I have just the place." And he gave that smirk that said he had something tricky up his sleeve.

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"…"

Mustang tried to hide a smile as all six Elrics had the same expression of horror.

"Greetings, Edwards and Alphonses! I, Alex Louis Armstrong, have the pleasure of taking you to my home!" Armstrong flexed his muscles and continued, "The Armstrong family has a tradition of housing those in need--"

"Armstrong."

"Hm? Is there something you need, Older Edward?"

Ed gave him a look and pointed. "Stop, you're scaring the children." And true to his word, Little Al was whimpering and Little Ed looked like he was going to too, dignity be damned.

After a moment of staring each other down, Armstrong looked away and said, "Very well." Armstrong tugged his shirt back on, and Mustang stared in awe, wondering how Edward had managed to convince _Armstrong_, of all people, to put his shirt back on.

At Mustang's questioning look, the older Ed shrugged and said, "That was a piece of cake compared to some of the other things I've done." Mustang raised an eyebrow and Ed stopped him. "Don't. You don't wanna know."

Both teen and child gave their adult counterpart a suspicious look but said nothing. The older Al couldn't keep quiet though. "It's over, Brother. Don't worry about it anymore." Ed nodded in acknowledgement, but didn't reply.

Mustang glanced between the two of them, but wisely kept silent. "Now, let's be off to the Armstrong Estate!" Armstrong boomed, breaking the somber silence that had fallen.

Mustang waved farewell as all six Elrics were dragged away. Judging by the look all the Eds were giving him, he doubted he'd be alive at the end of the next time he saw them.

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"Whew!" Ed flopped on the large bed. "I'm beat." He sat up and saw the other Eds staring at him. "What? After all that talking the Armstrong family did, I'm surprised I'm not deaf." The Als were in the next room; they had decided that they should split into two rooms.

"Oh. Well, I can sympathize with you there." The teenage Ed flopped next to the other Ed. "Though maybe you're just tired because you're old…" He ducked the swat that the older Ed let out.

"I'm only two years older! You should talk." The older Ed grinned and pointed at the eleven year old Ed. "Compared to him, we're both old geezers."

"Stop it!" Both the older Eds turned their attention to the smaller one. "Stop treating me like I'm a little kid!"

"Ed-chan…"

"Stop with the chan!" Little Ed glared at them both. "You two treat each other like equals, but you both treat me like a little kid! It's like the human transmutation was something special, something only you guys can understand! I wanted to bring Mom back just as much as you guys…" He turned and ran for the door.

Unfortunately for him, the other Eds were older and faster. Adult tackled child and teen blocked the door. "A little kid, huh? Is that how you think we're treating you?"

"Isn't it?" Little Ed squirmed and struggled, trying and failing to escape the arms of his captor.

"No." The squirming stopped. "We were being nice. Fine, we'll treat you normally, but you have to promise us something."

"…what?"

"Promise us that you won't give up." Adult and child looked up at the sudden interruption. At the oldest Ed's questioning look, the other shrugged and said, "What? That's what you wanted, right?"

"I was going to phrase it differently, but I guess that works…"

Ed-chan gave a suspicious glance between the teen and adult before nodding his consent. "Fine. I promise I won't give up."

"Okay, good." Edward was suddenly cheerful. He turned his attention to the teen. "That reminds me…how are we going to get into the military building tomorrow? You and I look too much alike; yesterday, we were lucky enough to show up right after a guard shift."

Ed seemed to think for a moment. "You could say that Ed-chan and Al-chan are your children."

Edward thought. "…yeah…but…" He grinned. "I think I'll play with the idea. For now, let's go to sleep." He got up and flopped on the king sized bed, all the while dragging Ed-chan with him like a favorite teddy bear.

"…You can let go of me now…" Ed-chan growled.

"Uh-uh. I'm comfy." Edward sighed.

Ed stared and said, "Where am I sleeping?"

A hand was waved limply in his direction. "Anywhere. Pick a spot. Preferably on the floor, cuz I don't feel like moving over."

Ed huffed and stomped over to the bed. Just to prove a point, he shoved Edward and Ed-chan aside and wiggled into the provided space.

"You two are squishing me!" Ed-chan whined.

"Sorry." Simultaneously, both of the older Eds sidled a little towards the edge.

Ed-chan yawned. Apparently, yawns were infectious because Ed and then Edward yawned. When Al opened the connecting door to their room, all three were asleep.

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"Brother?" Three heads turned and looked at Al-chan. He sighed and pointed at his brother. "Brother." He pointed at Ed. "Older Brother." He pointed at the oldest Ed. "Big Brother."

"That makes sense." Edward nodded.

"How come _he_ gets the 'big' title? Are you calling me _short_!" Ed jumped up and the other two Eds grabbed him.

"Calm down, Older Brother." Ed-chan said, earning him a glare. Little Ed shrugged and returned with, "What? It makes sense. You are kinda like an older brother."

Ed sighed and moved on, "Well, I have to go to work. To be safe, why don't you come to the military headquarters an hour after I do?"

Edward nodded his consent and replied, "Sure. Don't worry; I'll make sure the guard doesn't suspect a thing."

"Alright…" Ed turned to leave the room. "See ya there…come on, Al."

"Um…bye…" The armor clanked as it left the room.

Edward sat down on the edge of the bed as the other three started talking. Carefully, without anyone noticing, he gripped his side. He didn't know if he could keep up the charade for long…

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**You know, I like reviews. Doesn't matter if they're long or short (Though I enjoy reading long ones, even if they have nothing to do with the story.) because I like reviews. Reviews help me decide whether I should continue a story or not. I don't like having a lot of hits and no reviews. That makes me mad.**

**So…little blue button calls…**

**Lea Cat**


	3. Chapter 3

**This chapter is almost pointless. Note that I said, 'almost'. Most of you probably wanna kill me. I don't blame you. Forgive my unpredictable updating habits. You have to understand; I'm a whimsical person and I do whatever I feel like doing at the moment. Meaning, even if I say I'm going to do something, it won't get done until I feel like doing it. So, without further ado…**

**I don't own anything except my ideas. Which you can't have. Well, maybe, if you ask nicely…**

**Kudos to RealNutcase, who's PM actually convinced me to get up and post this chapter.

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**Time  
By Lea Cat  
8/1/06

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"Who's there!"

"I'm sorry," A lady in a pink, frilly dress stepped onto the path, her golden locks curling around her face. She flushed and continued, "My cousin, the FullMetal Alchemist, works here, and my sons and I came to see him." Two children stepped out from behind her.

"Oh, I'm sorry." The shocked guard stepped aside. "Of course...go right on in..."

The lady smiled and ushered her sons past him. Once they disappeared around the corner, the older of the two boys hissed, "I can't believe you did that! Don't you have any pride as a man?"

The lady giggled. "I always wanted to do that...besides, how else were we going to get in?"

"Big Brother...you can take the dress off now." The temporarily forgotten Al spoke up.

The lady, now identified as the oldest Ed, flushed and began removing the dress, revealing his normal clothes underneath. "Oh...sorry..."

"God..." The 11 year old Ed murmured. "Tell me I will NOT be like that in 7 years..." Since their talk last night, Little Ed was much more open.

Edward ignored him. "Now we need to get Alphonse in…" He fished in the pink purse he brought and took out a…pink…ribbon…?

"What the hell are you going to do with a ribbon!"

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"Tell me you did _not_ just do that."

"Hm?"

"You just flirted with the guard and blindfolded him with the ribbon."

"I did it so Alphonse could sneak by!" Edward replied defensively.

"You _flirted_ with the guard." Ed-chan repeated.

"So?"

"Where is your damn pride? Are you of the male gender or not!"

Instead of being offended like he was expected to, Edward simply thought about it. "Hm…last I checked, I fit all the qualifications for the male species…and I haven't been involved in any sexual activities or had a sexual interest yet, so I might be bi…" He smirked when both children turned tomato red.

Ed stuttered and tried to say something, but was cut off by a hissed, "Brother! Hurry up!"

"Go on, follow Al. I'll catch up after I take care of the guard." Ed and Al nodded their consent before running off. As he turned, he heard their whispered greeting. ("Hi, Little Brothers." "Not little, dammit!") The pink dress he had hurriedly slipped back into swished as he made his way back to where the guard was. "Hi, Mitchell." He whispered huskily into the guard's ear. He reached up (Dang it, he was NOT short!) and untied the ribbon wrapped around the guard's eyes.

"Hey, Ella. Did you fix your dress strap?" Ed mentally smirked as the lie he had told to blindfold the guard was repeated back to him.

"Yeah, but I have to go now. Ed is expecting me." He really should have gone into the acting career. The brown haired guard fell for the excuse hook, line, and sinker.

"Oh. Well, it was nice talking to you. Maybe we can get together sometime."

"Maybe…bye!" He gave a false smile and ran off.

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"…You did _not_ walk in like that."

"Sure I did. Don't worry; no one suspected a thing."

Mustang heard the familiar voices outside his office and peeked out. Funny. He could have sworn he heard the older Ed there too. Instead, he silently preened himself to perfection and sauntered out. "Hello there, FullMetal. Who is your lovely lady friend?"

The 'lovely lady friend' snorted and said, "Sorry Mustang, but I don't swing that way."

Mustang blinked and made the connection a moment later. "Edward!"

"Bingo. Now I gotta get rid of the dress…" After a bit of struggling, the oldest Ed admitted that he needed help out of the dress. "This is so embarrassing…" He confided in the teenage Ed.

His confession produced a grin. "Tell me about it; I don't know if you really are me. I would never be this undignified!"

"Hey!"

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"So, what's the future like?"

Edward looked up from the view of rolling meadows. "Hm? Do I look like a fortune teller?"

"You know what I mean!" The teen Ed glared. "There has to be a reason you wear those strange clothes and Al dresses like me!"

"Sure there is; that doesn't mean you have to know."

"Argh! Fine! Be that way!" Ed stomped off and Edward watched him go.

"Maybe you should have told him." Ed snapped his attention to his brother.

"No…he wouldn't understand. I don't want to bring him unnecessary pain. "

"But he's you." Al insisted. "You can get to know yourself better."

"We need to get back to our own time, Al. I don't think this is a time to be socializing." Ed said in exasperation.

"Don't you get it? I think we were brought to this time for a reason; my other selves agree too." Al pointed out. "Besides, maybe you can solve some of your own inner problems."

"Alright…" Ed pushed himself up off the rock he had been seated upon. "Catch you later…" In an after thought, he muttered under his breath, "Sometimes I wonder which of us is older…" Apparently Al caught the whispered comment, because he was trying not to laugh when Ed left.

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"World War II."

"Huh?"

"Beyond the Gate, in an alternate world, in a country called Germany, a war was taking place. It was a devastating war, created out of hatred and greed."

"Why are you telling me this?"

"Just shut up and listen." When Ed saw that he had captured the other Ed's attention, he continued. "I managed to restore Al to his own body; to understand this, you have to know that Al was turned into the Philosopher's Stone and brought me back to life with it when I died." That seemed to startle the teen. "Yes, I died. Envy killed me. Well, when I woke up and realized that Al had disappeared to bring me back, I sacrificed myself to the Gate to bring him back. Instead of dying, I was sent beyond the Gate to another world." Ed paused to take a breath and the other Ed prompted him to continue.

"Okay…"

"I saw a lot of things. After a little while, Al came through to join me. Don't ask." Edward stopped his younger self from asking. "I guarantee you won't understand." After a pause, he continued. "Al dresses like you, because while I was on the other side of the Gate, that was all he had to remember me by." As if reading Ed's mind, he said, "Al didn't remember our four year journey."

"Oh…that explains a lot…"

"Yeah…Ed-chan, you can come out now!" A sulky, nine-year old stepped out from behind a tree.

"How do you do that?"

"What, predicting what you're about to say, or somehow knowing where you always are?"

"Both." The younger Eds droned in unison.

"I was you at one point; I know how your minds work. As for knowing where you are…" he paused to try and find words to describe it. "…we all have a mental connection, being the same person, and I simply tap into that connection. Maybe it's because I'm more experienced in the way of the world." He continued, cutting the youngest Ed off.

"Damn. Someday, I will-"

"-get the better of me. Yes, yes, I know. And kids your age really shouldn't swear…oh wait, I did that too…"

"Duh! We're all the same person!"

"I pride myself as having more experience."

The present time Ed sighed and dropped his head in his hands as the other two got in a fist fight. _Was I really that bad when I was younger, and will I really be that bad when I'm older?

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**I told you, kinda pointless, but with a bit of humor. Did anyone else find the idea of Ed willingly cross-dressing funny? Ah well, they'll be doing worse by the end of this fic. Anyone want to offer a suggestion? You know you want to.**

**Don't worry, this fic will still follow the proper storyline.**


	4. Chapter 4

**Okay, I'm back. PHEW, I've been working sooo hard lately. Doing this, doing that, oops, gotta finish that too. Not to mention that school's gonna start soon. Geez!**

**I put a link on my profile page that leads to the picture that inspired this whole story. If you have time, go take a peek.**

**Well, this one is an important chapter. Pay close attention!**

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**Time  
By Lea Cat  
8/17/06**

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Sometimes, he wondered if he was a magnet for trouble. Maybe Fate hated him. After all, from what he had seen, his future was made of trouble.

Ed-chan obediently followed Ed around, waiting for him to say something. He had been doing this for an hour now, waiting patiently for Ed to answer his question. Maybe he had been stupid, asking what was in the Gate, but his curiosity had begun to eat away at him until he couldn't take it anymore.

Even though he had a limited amount of patience, which was a really small amount, he understood that it would take awhile to answer his question. And by gods, he was going to get the answer.

Edward walked in their shared bedroom, saw Ed-chan following Ed around in circles, and promptly turned around and left. Smart move. Probably didn't want to get dizzy. Dizzy? Ed-chan was getting dizzy. It was beginning to get hard to think.

Just when he thought he would collapse, he bumped into Ed's back, who had suddenly stopped. Sitting down, he waited once again for his answer.

Ed turned towards him. "You might not like my answer, but bear with me." He looked up at the ceiling, almost as if he was asking for help from an unknown deity. He looked back down and locked eyes with Ed-chan. "Maybe you should have asked Edward. He probably has better experience with telling people. But since you asked me, you will have to make do with my answer. Do you know what the Gate is?"

Ed-chan shook his head. "I'm not sure anyone knows what the Gate is."

"The Gate has a Guardian to watch over it."

"And I doubt either of you know anything about Guardians." Edward had reentered the room when neither of them were looking.

"The Guardian is Truth, isn't it?" Ed asked, eyeing the older version of him.

Edward shook his head. "Truth is only one of several."

"Can you name one?" Ed-chan asked, looking back and forth between them.

"Someone who's been to the Gate several times and back. Died at least once. Someone who's conscious doesn't let them walk away from someone who needs help." Edward looked straight at them. "We're the Guardian of Light." There was a moment of silence.

"Does that mean there's a Guardian of Dark, too?" Ed-chan asked in all his childish innocence. Ed and Edward laughed. Ed-chan pouted. "What? What'd I say? Hey! Listen to me!" But the other Eds were too busy laughing. Ed-chan silently patted himself on the back. They had looked like they had needed a good laugh.

Then a thought occurred to him.

"Hey, I _still_ don't know what's in the Gate!"

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"What are you doing?"

"Drawing."

"Drawing what?"

"Just…hold on a moment, alright?"

Ed-chan sighed and watched as Edward continued sketching something. After a few minutes, Edward stopped. Ed-chan hopped onto his lap, forcing Edward to put his arms around him in order to keep Ed-chan from sitting on his notebook. "Do I get to see it?"

Edward sighed and flipped back a page. Ed-chan smiled in glee when he saw the picture. It was a sketch of him and Ed talking and laughing on the floor. He didn't have to turn around to see that Edward was flushing in embarrassment.

"What's there to be embarrassed about? That's good. Where are you?"

Edward seemed faintly surprised by the way he shifted. "I've never drawn myself…"

"Why not?"

"Because, people tend to draw themselves the way they _want_ to be seen, and I can't guarantee that I won't do it either."

"Well, you can at least _try_. Like, take a picture or something and use it to keep yourself in check. Can I look at the others?"

"Sure." Edward said, and allowed him to flip through the pages. Ed-chan's eyes shimmered with delight at the pictures he saw. There was one with all the Als hanging out together, and another of him and his brother…

"These are good…" He muttered.

"I'll draw another for you later. I think its time for dinner." Edward said, lifting his arms up so Ed-chan could slip out.

As the left the room, the wind flew through the open window and disturbed the items in the room. A white cloth turned over to reveal red.

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Edward was the first to walk into their bedroom after dinner. Looking around, he saw some of his bandages showing blood. _Stupid, stupid, stupid!_ He berated himself, rushing over to hide them before the others could see. He hurriedly stuffed it into a drawer that he had claimed as his own.

"Big Brother? What are you doing?"

He nearly cringed at the hidden accusation in the question. Turning to face Ed-chan, he put on a calm face that he had lots of practice with. "Nothing, I was looking for my notebook."

Ed-chan gave him a weird look before saying, "I'll help you look."

For a few moments, everything was silent. Then Ed walked in. He looked at them oddly before asking, "What are you guys looking for?"

"My notebook."

"Oh. Sorry, I borrowed it. I was flipping through it during dinner. I hope you don't mind." Ed gave Edward a look that said, 'I know you're hiding something, why don't you come out and say it.'

Luckily for him, Edward always had an excuse or an alternate plan ready. "You saw the bandages, didn't you?" Ed nodded angrily. "Don't worry, its not serious. Just a cut, see?" He pushed up his left sleeve to reveal a bandage on a cut he had made for just this purpose.

Ed relaxed slightly, his suspicion and worry eased. "Alright, but next time, tell us, alright?"

"Fine." Edward nodded. He felt horrible for lying to them, but it was for their own good.

(XXhxaxpxpxyxxdxexpxrxexsxsxixoxnxxhxaxtxrxexdxxhxoxpxeXX)

"So, how are they doing?" A deep voice asked.

"Fairly well, considering the circumstance. I wonder when they're gonna figure it out."

"Hush. They'll figure it out on time. The oldest is doing the best so far."

"No surprise. His determination to protect is really astounding sometimes."

"Protecting them will only kill him, eventually. I don't think he gets that."

"Are we going to do anything?"

"Maybe. It depends on what they do next."

"This job is so troublesome. Why did I sign up for it?"

"You didn't. You were drafted. Guardians don't get to pick."

"Why does Truth insist on picking on Light?"

"I dunno, Time. But if you ask me, it's kinda fun."

The Guardian of Time pouted. "Only _you_ could say that. I don't like this."

"Hey, how's Fire doing?"

"Still completely oblivious."

"You'd think he'd get the hint. Only so many alchemists can work with fire."

"You can't blame him. It's not like our job comes with a manual that says, 'Congratulations, you are Guardian of so and so'. Geez, if it were that easy, I'd kill myself."

"If you do that, Truth won't be very happy."

"Yeah, well Truth can go shove it up his--"

The sentence was interrupted by a panicky, "SHUT UP!"

-------------------------------------------

**Okay, if anyone doesn't understand the Guardian thing, tell me and I'll go more in-depth. So, we have several Guardians, excluding the Eds, who are all planning something. Any guesses on where I'm going? Heh heh…some people are gonna kill me…**


	5. Chapter 5

**It feels really good to get this done. No, really, it does. School is back in session and I barely have enough time for my homework. Getting this done too is an accomplishment. It makes me feel good.**

**Disclaimer: I have a piece of lint. Does that count?

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**Time  
By Lea Cat  
9/16/06

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**

"No."

"Why not?"

"No."

"Please?"

Edward stared at his younger counterparts, silently counting to ten before allowing himself to speak. "I am NOT going. That is final." It was beginning to get hard to resist, knowing that it took great effort for the other Eds to beg like they currently were.

"It's not like its going to kill you." The youngest Ed whined. "Will you PLEASE come shopping with us? I don't wanna go alone."

All that walking probably _will_ kill me. Edward thought crossly. If only he didn't have that stupid—

"Brothers? Did you settle the issue? He's coming, right?"

Edward's head flew up. "I most certainly am NOT."

"Yes you are." Alphonse replied with a meaningful look. "So stop whining and come with us with a smile. If you don't…"

Great. Just GREAT. The world was against him today! Edward glared at his brother, then sighed and allowed Ed-chan and Ed to drag him along. Why today of all days? He had a _meeting_ to attend. He didn't tell anyone about them, but it was not an optional meeting. Besides, his other selves would understand later.

"Hey, hurry up!" Edward's head flew up as Ed-chan's voice entered his thoughts. They had let go of him without him noticing, and he was now trailing after them.

"Alright." He replied, coming to a decision. He could throw them off later, at the market, in all the crowds.

(XXhxaxpxpxyxxdxexpxrxexsxsxixoxnxxhxaxtxrxexdxxhxoxpxeXX)

"I want this one! Can I _please_ have this one?"

"I want one too!"

Edward sighed and stared at the price tag. How many zeros were there? It was surprising; the moment they came into view of a toyshop, Ed-chan and Al-chan became little kids with nothing more on their minds other than toys.

"Don't ask me," he said, showing them his empty pockets, "I don't have the salary of a state alchemist."

Two pairs of eyes fixated on their new piggy bank. "_Pleeeeaase?_"

Ed refused to look directly into their eyes. "The answer is no. That's a rip off. Besides, throwing money around is a waste."

"You heard him. The answer's no." Alphonse told the boys firmly. Out of all of them, he was the best with handling the youngest. All he received were pouts.

Edward nervously looked at his watch. 11: 50. He had a 12:00 meeting, so he had better slip away now. Putting on a neutral face, he said, "I saw something I wanted to check out over there. You guys go ahead, I'll catch up later."

"I'll go with you." Ed replied.

Edward nearly panicked, but practice helped him keep his cool. "No, it's alright. This'll only take a few minutes. I insist; keep going. I'll catch up." Before anyone could argue, he walked off.

As he turned a corner, he silently heaved a sigh of relief. Now, he thought, time to catch up with Truth.

(XXhxaxpxpxyxxdxexpxrxexsxsxixoxnxxhxaxtxrxexdxxhxoxpxeXX)

Ed glared behind him suspiciously. Ed-chan paused to see what he was looking at. "He's up to something." He finally said.

"I know." Ed-chan replied. "It doesn't matter; he said he'd come back and he will."

Ed turned his glare on the shorter blond. "Yeah, but couldn't he have at _least_ told us where he was really going?"

"Don't worry. He'll show up and tell us where he went when he's _ready_." Alphonse tossed in. "If you try to force it out of him before he's ready, he'll just clam up and you'll never get it out of him."

Ed nearly pouted until he recalled that it was undignified. "Fine. Let's get going."

Ed-chan and Al-chan hung behind, and when the others were out of earshot, they began whispering. "Al, let's sneak off."

"_What!_"

Ed-chan clamped a hand on his brother's mouth. "SHHHHH. The others need some time, and I figured that since Big Brother snuck off we could too. Besides, we've never been here before and I wanna explore! Shopping's boring!"

Al-chan rolled his eyes and finally consented. "Fine. But _you_ get the blame this time!"

And so, with hushed whispers, they slipped off behind a cart before Ed, Al, and Alphonse could notice them go.

Unfortunately, one pair of eyes _did_ see them, and they had a malevolent look in them. With a whoosh of air, the shadow disappeared.

(XXhxaxpxpxyxxdxexpxrxexsxsxixoxnxxhxaxtxrxexdxxhxoxpxeXX)

"Where did they go?" Ed asked curiously, turning around to look for the youngest of their group.

"Hm?" Alphonse replied, his mind drowsy from the heat, before turning around. "Oh, look, Ed-chan and Al-chan are gone…" It took a moment to click in before all traces of weariness vanished from his face. "WHAT! Oh, SHIT!" He sharply turned on his heels and dashed the way they came.

"Wait up!" Al called, giving chase.

Ed's followed quickly, a crease on his brow. 'Wasn't there a report on kidnappings…?' His eyes widened and he sped up. "SHOOT!"

(XXhxaxpxpxyxxdxexpxrxexsxsxixoxnxxhxaxtxrxexdxxhxoxpxeXX)

Edward gasped in pain and grabbed at his chest. He panted in pain for a few moments before shoving it aside and opening his shirt. The blood had seeped through the bandages, and would have seeped through his white shirt if he hadn't noticed sooner. "Last thing I need…" he grumbled, unwrapping the bandages and rewrapping new ones back on. It was lucky that he always carried bandages for cases like this.

Dumping the dirtied bandages in the trash can next to him; Edward pushed himself off the wall and exited the alley. People were rushing back and forth in a hectic manner, completely ignoring him.

A trickle of fear entered his mind; and he knew it wasn't coming from him. Probing the mental link in his head, he concluded that it was Ed. Seeing as Ed was older than Ed-chan (and he was feeling fear from both now), it would take more to scare him. That was bad. Very, very bad. He had to get there now.

Knowing that Ed-chan would be less capable of fending for himself, he headed for where he could feel his younger self:

The warehouses.

(XXhxaxpxpxyxxdxexpxrxexsxsxixoxnxxhxaxtxrxexdxxhxoxpxeXX)

"Cool! Al, look in here!"

Al-chan's head popped up alongside Ed-chan's. They both eagerly looked in a warehouse.

"Let's go look!" Ed-chan shoved the door open wider and ran inside.

Al-chan seemed a bit more paranoid, staring behind him towards the other warehouses before running after Ed-chan. "Brother, wait for me!"

"Look at this!" Ed-chan pointed at a complex looking circle with strange patterns he had never seen before. "I wonder what its for. It looks like some kind of transmutation circle."

Al-chan sidled up behind him, still glancing behind him. "Brother, something doesn't feel right."

"Don't worry about it, Al. It's nothing." Ed-chan replied, staring at the circle.

"But Brother!" Al-chan protested, tugging on Ed-chan's sleeve. "It really doesn't feel right! Let's leave!"

"Alright!" Ed-chan conceded, and allowed Al-chan to pull him towards the exit.

But they were too late.

The door slid closed, and a shadow jumped down in front of it. Ed-chan automatically took a defensive stance, placing himself in front of his brother. "Ed-chan, Al-chan."

"Who are you?" Ed-chan demanded, a tiny bit of fear slinking into his heart. How could whoever it was know their name? The shadow stepped forward just enough so that the light from above illuminated it a little. "Mom…" He whispered.

"Have you been good while I was gone?"

(XXhxaxpxpxyxxdxexpxrxexsxsxixoxnxxhxaxtxrxexdxxhxoxpxeXX)

Edward sped up, and two people lounging on a rooftop watched him.

"You know, it seems awfully mean of us to simply sit here and watch one of the more famous Guardians go through all this trouble by himself."

"But it's irresistibly fun!" the other person protested. Long dark hair waved in the wind.

"Only _you_ could say that, Dark. I don't like this." Time replied, her short silvery blond hair spiked in every direction.

"You've said that before." Dark yawned.

"You just wanna see what he's capable of before you go attack him." Time accused.

"Well, I never said any differently."

"You are so frustrating!" Time threw her hands in the air. "You know what? I'm going to get a better look."

Just before she left, Dark said, "Most of this is your fault anyway. If you had kept a better eye out on your end of the--"

"_Shut up._" She hissed, pausing in her stride. "I know that, okay? Just leave me alone." With that said, she leapt off the roof and disappeared.

(XXhxaxpxpxyxxdxexpxrxexsxsxixoxnxxhxaxtxrxexdxxhxoxpxeXX)

Edward panted heavily as he made a mad dash for the warehouses. If he didn't get there quickly, there would be a lot of trouble. He could feel shock coming in, and then a slight bit of joy. That was NOT good.

"Chibi-san!"

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**I am having way too much fun with this story. It's great to have a nice plotline and then stab it with a dagger and twist. A little unexpected, and very sporadic, but still great. Sorry this chapter took so long. My space bar is acting up, and it's very annoying. I've been working on this story in my spare time, because this is the one with the most complete plot so far. I actually wrote the ending out ahead of time.**

**Lea Cat**


	6. Chapter 6

**Oops. I totally forgot that redsoul asked me to explain the Guardian thing in more detail. I'm sorry, so sorry!**

**Okay, it's kind of like the element thing, but a little/lot different. There's a Guardian for almost every attribute. That's where the similarity ends. It gets a lot more complicated from there. The more important Guardians are usually aware of their job. If they don't figure out that they're a Guardian on their own quickly, it means that the 'Gate' they're guarding may fall into chaos.**

**Guardians that don't figure out their job on their own are subject to an annoying nagging feeling in the back of their head and pain, if the Gate falls into chaos. If someone else tells them their job, then the job is passed onto someone else, meaning that they have to figure it out on their own.**

**The smaller Gates are guarded by human Guardians, while the Gate is guarded by Truth, who is a lot stricter on certain things. Generally, Guardians tend to have similar attributes to the Gate they guard, but not necessarily.**

**The Gate is like a big closet of information. The information is sorted and placed accordingly in smaller sub-Gates, the ones that are guarded by human Guardians. If a Guardian doesn't check on their Gate every so often, chances are someone might get the wrong information.**

**I hope that clears up a few things. If there are more questions, please let me know.**

**Disclaimer: Someday…I will have my own manga! (Pfft. Like that'll ever happen.)

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**Time  
By Lea Cat  
****9/23/06

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**

Edward's running came to a halt as Envy leaped down in front of him. Great, just what he needed.

"Where do you think you're going?" Envy asked; a malicious gleam was in his eyes.

"Get out of my way." Edward growled snappishly.

"Sloth is taking care of your little friends right now. We don't want to interrupt them." Envy cackled.

A whoosh of air was all the warning he got before he was speared through. Then Edward let his body slump to the ground.

"Aww, you know it takes more than that. I thought you came from the future." Envy prodded.

Edward ignored him and clapped his hands.

The next thing Envy knew, he was standing at the Gate. "Oh, crap."

(XXhxaxpxpxyxxdxexpxrxexsxsxixoxnxxhxaxtxrxexdxxhxoxpxeXX)

"I've returned one of the homunculus. Part of my end of the deal is taken care of. You owe me."

A few moments later, another voice said, "A portion of your payment has been given. If you deliver them all, I'll give you the rest."

Ed was confused. Who was his older self talking to? He ran out and around the corner of the building. "Hey!"

There was a distinctive clang, and Ed found himself looking at a pair of fading doors. His eyes widened in recognition before he whipped his head around to glare at his counterpart. "Owww…" Edward moaned. "Remind me to _not_ do this job in sections."

"Job?.!" Ed grabbed Edward's shirt and yanked him up so they could see eye to eye. "What job?.! And where the hell did you go? Ed-chan is _missing_."

"I know, okay? Let go, I'm kinda hurting right now." Edward added, purposely not answering the other questions.

"Answer my other questions first!" Ed growled. Al and Alphonse ran by, completely ignoring them; though, somehow, Ed got the feeling that was mostly Alphonse's doing.

"Alright, alright!" Edward conceded, once Ed had furiously shaken him several times. "I'll answer your questions, just please stop shaking me before I vomit!" Ed released Edward, allowing him to slump down on the ground.

After a few moments of Edward simply breathing, Ed prompted, "Well?"

One golden eye peered up at him. "My current occupation is Guardian, remember?" At Ed's nod, he continued, "Well, I had a mandatory meeting with a few other Guardians at noon, so that was where I was at. As for what I'm working on…" Edward paused to find the right words. "…I struck a deal with Truth in order to get more information on our current situation."

Ed was smarter than that. "What kind of deal?" he asked.

Edward glared. He had been hoping a vague answer would have been good enough. "Our younger self is in trouble right now, and you wanna have a chat with me. Oh, very nice Ed, very _selfish_ too. Or unselfish. I'm not sure; he is kinda you too…"

Once again alerted to the situation, Ed shot up, "Shoot! That's right! Come on." He slung one of Edward's arms around his shoulder and hauled him up and towards the warehouses. "By now, Al and Alphonse should have found them. It'll take us a while to find the right one…"

"No it won't." Edward stated. "They're in there. I can feel Ed-chan." He pointed to the third warehouse.

"Oh. That's handy. You have to teach me that trick." Ed muttered, making a beeline for the partially open door. The closer they got, the clearer the voices, until they could finally make out the words. Edward pushed himself off, positive he could handle himself.

"…go!" Alphonse's angry voice yelled.

"They're my hostages. I need your brother to handle this. Where is he?" A smooth, calm voice replied.

"Right here." Edward slammed the door fully open.

(XXhxaxpxpxyxxdxexpxrxexsxsxixoxnxxhxaxtxrxexdxxhxoxpxeXX)

Ed-chan was never happier to see his older self. When the lady-who-looked-like-their-mother-but-wasn't stepped into the light, he had wanted to believe it was their mother, and that their work had actually paid off.

But though his heart rejoiced, his head denied. It couldn't be his mother, it had insisted. And since his head seemed smarter to listen to, he had immediately fallen back into a defensive stance.

"Mom!" Al-chan had taken off towards the false mother, as Ed-chan had decided to call her, and he had to dive out of his stance to grab him.

"Al, no!"

"Mom!" He continued to call, and Ed-chan had glared when the false mother tried to come closer.

"Don't come any closer…homunculus." He hissed, almost hesitantly, although he knew with every fiber of his being that that was what she was.

Al-chan had slumped in shock. "Homunculus?" He asked. "Brother, how could you say that? She's our mother!" Ed-chan rolled his eyes. Denial was his least favorite stage of shock.

"Al, think about it. Mom died, you saw it. Our human transmutation did not get to fully complete, because we were yanked out of time. That is not our mom."

"Clever." A large tentacle of water constricted itself around them.

"Ed-chan! Al-chan!" Alphonse exclaimed, running into the warehouse. Al had followed closely afterwards. Alphonse seemed to catch on quicker, although the homunculus looking like their mother threw him off for a few moments. "Let them go!" He yelled angrily.

"They're my hostages. I need your brother to handle this. Where is he?" She asked smoothly.

"Right here." And the door had slammed open and Edward had stepped through, followed closely by Ed, looking like he was going to kill something. And that was where they were now.

With one sweeping glance he took in the whole situation. His eyes wandered back to the false mother. "Sloth," he greeted her pleasantly; although the way his eyes hardened said something different. "I see you have my little brothers there with you. Would you mind letting them go?" He accompanied all this with a charming smile. Behind him, Ed seemed to be considering knocking him out.

"No. Not without a price." Sloth said.

"And what would that be?" Alphonse asked.

Sloth motioned to her right. Everyone's head turned to look. A group of children were huddled in a cage on another transmutation circle, looking like they were too frightened to move. How could they have missed that? Ed-chan wondered. In a distant part of his mind, he noted that his clothes were soaked all the way through and he was freezing.

"We want to sacrifice them to the gate in return for information." Sloth informed them. "If you transmute the children and give us the information we want, we'll let you have your 'brothers' back."

Everyone's eyes, except Edward and Alphonse's, widened in shock. _Sacrifice children?.!_ Ed-chan thought, bewildered. Surely, Edward would not go through with that plan. It wasn't worth it.

And just as he expected, Edward declined. "No." He said, narrowing his eyes slightly. "Throwing away that many lives is a waste." He took a step forward.

Sloth's face gave away nothing, but the grip on them tightened and Ed-chan was forced to gasp for air. Edward stopped in his tracks. Sloth seemed to realize that they were an ideal bargaining chip. "If you don't accept the deal, I'll kill them." She threatened.

For a moment, all was silent as Sloth and Edward had a stare down.

Suddenly, a strange girl with short, spiky platinum blond hair showed up. "Light! Catch!" She tossed a package at Edward, who seemed to immediately realize what it was. As quickly as she appeared, the girl disappeared.

Edward threw the package at Sloth, who shrieked and recoiled, dropping Ed-chan and Al-chan in the process. Just as quickly, Alphonse was beside them, pulling them to their feet. "Come on, quickly!"

As Alphonse dragged them towards the entrance, Edward sped past, his automail arm already transmuted into a dagger. Ed-chan felt something akin to sadness…regret…and anger? Why would he be angry? Or regretful? It took several moments before he could pin down the sensations. They weren't his. They belonged to his other selves.

Edward began to slice and stab at the homunculus, forcing her to move in a certain direction with a clever combination of moving the package and attacking. When she got to a clear empty area, he clapped his hands and slammed them to the ground. A pattern emerged beneath her feet. Sloth screeched to a stop. She gave him a beseeching look. "Edward…"

Edward ruthlessly slammed the package into her, and Sloth slumped to the ground in a puddle. She made a sad attempt to erase the circle, before she gave up and started vomiting up red stones. Edward moved forward, ready to slice her to bits.

"STOP!.!" Ed cried, jumping between him and the homunculus.

Edward halted. "What are you doing?" He asked coldly.

"Why is there a homunculus that looks like our mother?" Ed demanded, ignoring the other question. Edward said nothing. "Answer me, dammit!" Ed snarled.

"A homunculus is made through a failed human transmutation." Edward stated. "Now get out of the way."

"But that means she _is_ our mother!" Ed exclaimed, not moving at all.

"She is nothing more than an image; a fake." Edward growled, beginning to get impatient. "I'm disappointed. I thought that Al would be the one to get cold feet."

At the other side of the warehouse, where he could hear them just fine, Alphonse winced guiltily. Edward pushed past Ed and began to advance on Sloth.

"How can you do this?" Ed yelled, "How can you kill her without hesitating?.!"

Edward froze in his tracks. "You have no idea how much pain this causes me." He whispered, "And I prefer you don't, ever."

Ed stared at him. "What…"

His other self ignored him and turned his attention back to Sloth, who was pitifully trying to get out of the circle. He clapped his hands and grabbed Sloth's arms.

A door materialized in front of them, and little black hands pulled the offered homunculus inside. "Well, you got another one, and so quick too. Would you like the next part now…?"

Edward was quick to decline. "No, I'll take the rest in one go."

Truth acknowledged the wisdom in that with a simple nod, before he and the Gate disappeared.

**Phwee. I work so hard……this is a really long chapter. Lots of explanation in the top notes though…fwee…**

**People, I am in real need of encouragement here, I am stressed beyond belief. I have another story with more reviews and less hits. That makes me kinda mad, so I'm going to give you options:**

**Option One: Review. Make me happy. I write better chapters. You're happy. Everyone wins.**

**Option Two: Let the people who review continue to review. If you don't normally review, then don't. I mean, why bother? I only work on this story every free moment I have, which isn't much.**

**Option Three: Don't review at all. Writer gets irritated and stops writing. Story is discontinued and deleted.**

**So, reviews equal happiness. Please review.**

**Lea Cat**


	7. Chapter 7

**I've just recovered my computer from the clutches of my mother, and it gives me the opportunity to bring you this! Ah…the joys of October…lots of explanations in here, so pay close attention.

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**Time  
By Lea Cat  
10/1/06

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**

Ed was in shock. Was that the Gate he just saw? When Edward tried to walk by him, he snapped out of it. "_Hold on a moment._" He growled, grabbing the sleeve of his older self. "What was that all about?.!"

"I'm a Guardian, remember?" Edward pointed out with a look. "I made a deal with Truth. I recall telling you about that. And I won't tell you any more until you and Ed-chan are safe in our temporary bedroom." He added over his shoulder as he walked off.

Ed was fuming. He wanted to stomp around and hurt something. How did Edward get the right to flaunt his skill around? And why did he get the last say in everything? It wasn't fair.

Marching after the others, Ed allowed himself to drift into thought.

"Whatcha thinking about?" Ed nearly jumped at the innocent tone in Ed-chan's voice.

"Nothing." Ed replied all too quickly, indicating that it was _far_ from nothing.

"You can tell us." Alphonse said. "It's not like we'll go running around yelling it out."

Ed's head snapped around to find Alphonse walking on his other side. When did he get there? "It's just that Edward's acting like he owns the world."

A sad look passed over Alphonse's face before disappearing. "You have to understand; Edward's trying his best to protect you from the stuff that really hurt him when he was here. He's not trying to own the world." Alphonse explained patiently. "He just wants you to be safe."

Ed nearly pouted. "I can take care of myself."

Alphonse nodded in agreement. "Edward knows that, he just feels really insecure. I've noticed that you guys don't function properly if you don't have a goal or someone to protect."

Ed-chan chose this time to speak up. "Sorry to cut into the conversation, but the others are wondering what's keeping us."

Alphonse and Ed looked up to see Edward, Al, and Al-chan looking at them curiously. "What's taking you so long?" Edward called. "If you don't hurry up, we'll be late for the Armstrong 'traditional dinner'." He quoted, making signs in the air.

Alphonse's eyes widened. "That's right! I completely forgot! Hurry up, hurry up!" He made a mad dash for the door.

Ed and Ed-chan laughed and raced him for it.

(XXhxaxpxpxyxxdxexpxrxexsxsxixoxnxxhxaxtxrxexdxxhxoxpxeXX)

"They're being more open." Al-chan suddenly said in the still silence. After dinner, the Elrics' had retired to their respective rooms.

"Yes." Al agreed with the child on the floor. "I've noticed it too. They aren't being so distant and are actually sharing their feelings with each other."

"They don't have a choice with sharing when it comes to my brother." Alphonse rolled his eyes. "He simply relies on the mental link he has with them."

"That's not good." Al and Al-chan said in unison. They shared a look before Al continued. "If he doesn't get to know himself better, this opportunity might never come up again!"

"And getting to know yourself better is a real plus." Al-chan chirped with a smile.

Alphonse grinned at the two of them and then took a glance at the clock. "It's ten o'clock. Time for bed."

Al went back to oiling his armor as Alphonse went about putting their younger self to sleep.

(XXhxaxpxpxyxxdxexpxrxexsxsxixoxnxxhxaxtxrxexdxxhxoxpxeXX)

"So." Ed stated, his eye twitching as he glared down at the eighteen year old lounging on the bed. "What was all that about back in the warehouse?"

Edward gave him a lazy, half-awake stare. "Huzzah?"

Ed smacked him upside the head. "Don't you 'huzzah' me!.! Answer my question!.!.!"

Edward blinked and straightened up. "Sorry."

Ed-chan piped in, "I have obviously missed something, so spill. What is it?"

"Idiot over here made a deal with the Gate's Guardian—" Ed jerked his thumb at the 'idiot' lounging on the bed.

"Hey! I did it for information!.!" Edward pulled himself upright.

"—and now he's going to tell us the conditions of his deal. And he's going to spill every little secret he's hiding in that demented brain of his."

Edward's eyes burned holes in Ed's head. "Fine," He hissed a moment after he realized that glaring didn't faze Ed. "I'll tell you everything. Where do you want me to start?"

Ed blinked and said in a neutral tone, "Hmmm, I don't know, maybe…AT THE BEGINNING!.!.!"

Ed-chan jumped between them just as Ed made to throttle Edward. "No." He said firmly. "This is not helping. Calm down and let him talk."

"Thank you." Edward replied. "Well, I basically forced Truth to make the deal with me; he didn't seem to want to make a deal with me." He pulled up his shirt to reveal the large bandage wrapped around him. "I gave him some of my blood." He winced. "Unfortunately, Truth decided that the arm doesn't bleed enough."

"Truth doesn't sound like a nice person." Ed-chan commented.

Ed and Edward blinked in unison. Ed-chan was acting so grown up; they had forgotten that he hadn't experienced some of the more horrifying things that they had. "Err…he's not." Ed gave Ed-chan a strange look.

"I thought so."

"Ahem." Edward cleared his throat. When the other two turned their attention to him, he continued. "The deal was this: If I deliver all the homunculus back to the Gate where they belong, then Truth will give me all information relevant to our problem. Any questions?"

Both Ed and Ed-chan raised their hands. Ed went first. "How'd you summon the Gate there?"

Edward shrugged. "I just did. It's a talent of any Guardian."

"How do you know if you're a Guardian?" Ed-chan asked.

Edward's face showed surprise, and then his brows furrowed in concentration. "It's a combination of your personality, actions, and circumstance." He finally came up with. He said nothing else, for he didn't know what to say.

"Soooo…could Al be a Guardian and not know it?" Ed drawled.

Edward blinked. "But he _is_."

A moment of shocked silence… "WHAT?.! AND YOU DIDN'T TELL US?.!" Ed and Ed-chan yelled.

The connecting door banged open. "Be quiet! Some people are trying to sleep!" Alphonse rebuked, seemingly half-awake.

"Hey! You're a—" Edward slapped his hand over Ed's mouth.

"Sorry for the disturbance, Al. We'll be quieter." Ed-chan nodded in agreement while Ed made angry noises. Alphonse slammed the door shut again.

Ed took a deep breath when Edward finally uncovered his mouth before demanding in a whisper, "What the hell?.! What Guardian is he?"

"Guardian of the Soul. It must be because he's been disconnected from his body so many times. But he doesn't know it yet, so until he figures it out, be quiet!" Edward ordered.

"How can you tell if other people are Guardians if they don't know it? And why can't we tell?" Ed-chan questioned.

"If you tell, then the job is passed to someone else. As for how I can tell…we Guardians can always recognize each other on sight." Edward shrugged.

"Is anyone else we know a Guardian?" Ed asked out of pure curiosity.

"Mustang." Edward's hand was already muffling the shriek that tried to exit Ed's mouth.

Ed was allowed to rant quietly once he stopped shrieking. "What?.! You've gotta be kidding! He's a Guardian?.! How the hell did he get to be a Guardian?.!"

"The Guardian of Fire has always been a little egotistical and annoying. Believe me, everyone knows that. But the colonel also doesn't know about his job; at least, the one of your time. Mine is doing his job fine and dandy."

"How can you get along with him?.!" Ed demanded.

Edward shrugged for the third time. "He and I came to a truce near the end of our journey."

The connecting door creaked open, and Al stuck his head in. "Ah, sorry for interrupting, but my older self seems like he's in a crabby mood and is very close to coming in here. You may want to go to bed." Al receded and closed the door.

Edward peeked at his wrist watch. "You know, that's not a bad idea. It's midnight, it's bedtime." He flopped on the bed fully clothed.

Ed-chan didn't waste a second crawling beside him. Ed hesitated, before slipping on the other side of Edward.

The fireplace crackled and Edward sighed. "Goodnight…"

* * *

**Thank you for all the reviews. Reviews make my day, so please review. Another point I'd like to bring up is the Alerts vs. Reviews factor.**

**If you can take the time to put an alert on me, review. I don't like it when people get an alert that my story has been updated, then fly in, read, and leave. That is NOT acceptable, folks. I put in time and effort creating this story; the least you could do is drop a word or two of encouragement. It doesn't even have to be long.**

**Well, ja,**

**Lea Cat**


	8. Chapter 8

**Hiya, I'm back again! I feel kinda bad, because I've been focusing on this story more than others…then again, I base my writing of spur of the moment inspiration, so it doesn't really work if I try to force it.**

**This chapter is dedicated to all those Al-lovers and also explains some future things. This chapter is just a fun little thing that happens to help me explain some things that I'd have to explain later.

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**

**Time  
By Lea Cat  
10/28/06

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**

"Why are we doing this?"

"Hmm?" Alphonse absently ruffled through the pile of clothes.

Al-chan cleared his throat. "Why are we doing this?"

"It's our birthday tomorrow." Alphonse stated, as if it was the most obvious thing in the world. And indeed it was their birthday tomorrow.

"So…is the present for Al?"

"Yeah. I thought that we'd get a present for him because it would mean something to him. The time I was in the armor was the most depressing stage of my life; and that's saying something." Alphonse's gaze drifted out the thrift store window.

Al-chan was silent, sensing the sorrow behind the statement. When Alphonse still didn't say anything, Al-chan chirped, "Don't worry; it's behind you. It's not like it's your future."

Alphonse's head snapped around, having noticed the hidden meaning. "No, it won't be your future. You are alert now, and I expect that you won't make the same mistake."

Al-chan nodded solemnly. "I won't." he promised.

Alphonse smiled down at him. "Good."

Al-chan, in an attempt to break the mood, grabbed a wooden top and exclaimed, "I wanna get this for Al!"

Alphonse looked at it doubtfully before grinning at Al-chan and teasing, "You sure that's not for you?"

Al-chan pouted; he'd been found out. "Okay, fine…" he grabbed a music box, "how's this?"

Alphonse nodded in approval. "Good." In the end, he picked out a crystal. As they were heading for the counter, he slipped the top in his pocket.

Once he paid for the items, he slipped the top out and quickly paid the man before whisking it away again. Al-chan didn't even notice. "Can we go now? Al's getting suspicious." Al-chan said.

Alphonse nodded and they left the store.

(XXhxaxpxpxyxxdxexpxrxexsxsxixoxnxxhxaxtxrxexdxxhxoxpxeXX)

"Where were you?" Al asked. His non-existent eyes bored holes into their heads, making Al-chan feel like he could read his mind. Alphonse seemed to have no problem though.

"We were shopping! Look at this!" Alphonse yanked a gi and hakama out of their bag and held it against him. "Isn't it nice?"

Al nodded. "Well, now that you are here, I have to leave. Before you ask, the Eds are off researching, so don't bother them."

They all chuckled.

"Yeah…they do just get sucked up in their work." Alphonse laughed.

"I'm off! See ya!" Al's armor clanked as he trotted off.

"It's so easy to forget he's an empty armor." Al-chan sighed.

Alphonse nodded in agreement. Then his eyebrow furrowed. "Wha…?" His breathing suddenly accelerated.

"Brother?" Al-chan grabbed his sleeve. "What's wrong? What is it?"

Alphonse's breathing slowed. "It's alright…it's nothing…" _He didn't hear it!_ Alphonse thought in disbelief. Well, no need to burden his younger self.

Al-chan noticed he was hiding something immediately. "What are you hiding?" He asked, crossing his arms and staring intensely.

Alphonse grimaced, having no choice but to tell the truth. "A voice whispered my name. But it wasn't my name, it was more like…" His eyes snapped open and he dashed off in the direction of the library.

Al-chan was caught off guard. He paused a minute before running after. "Hey! Wait!!"

Unfortunately, he didn't have the endurance his older counterpart apparently had. Coughing, he slowed to a walk. At least he knew where Alphonse was heading.

(XXhxaxpxpxyxxdxexpxrxexsxsxixoxnxxhxaxtxrxexdxxhxoxpxeXX)

Edward's head jerked up from the book it was buried in the moment Alphonse's hands slammed against the table. "Yes…?" he asked blearily.

Alphonse stared at him with an intense fire in his eyes. "Who," he hissed, "is calling me the Soul Guardian?"

Edward was instantly alert. "What?"

"I'm the Soul Guardian, aren't I? Why didn't you tell me?"

"Because…"

Edward couldn't come up with anything.

"Fine, I'll just…leave you to your study…excuse me…" Alphonse walked out in a demure manner.

Al-chan appeared just as he left the library. "What happened?"

"Nothing…" Alphonse murmured, his bangs shadowing his eyes. "Please...I just need to think right now…"

He walked off, and Al-chan didn't try to follow him. Al-chan looked at the library. "What happened…?"

(XXhxaxpxpxyxxdxexpxrxexsxsxixoxnxxhxaxtxrxexdxxhxoxpxeXX)

_Why now?_

Alphonse stared off into the setting sun. Of all times, why was it now that he had to come to the realization that he was the Soul Guardian. "Dammit, this is not a good day…"

"Yeah…it's been awfully sucky…then again, _most of life is, so deal._"

Alphonse only buried his head in his hands. "Shut up, Time. You're not helping."

His fellow Guardian patted him on the back. "Sorry. I know it's hard."

"He didn't tell me! Why didn't he tell me?" Alphonse shook his head. "I mean, I know _why_ he didn't tell me, but still! That doesn't make me feel any better."

Time slipped something in his hands. "Try drinking this tonight and take this in the morning." She slipped another item in his hands. "Can't spend all my time here; see ya!"

And she was gone as quickly as she'd come. Alphonse glared at the sky. "Will _someone_ please just tell me how I can kill my problems slowly and painfully?"

(XXhxaxpxpxyxxdxexpxrxexsxsxixoxnxxhxaxtxrxexdxxhxoxpxeXX)

"Alphonse!" Ed yelled, running towards him as soon as he was in sight. Ed turned back and called, "Hey! I found him!"

Edward was there in several long strides. "Alphonse!" Alphonse suddenly found himself short of air. "I'm sorry! I know you know why I didn't tell you, but that still isn't an excuse!" Edward pulled away and looked him over. "Has the headache set in? I have just the thing for it if it has…"

"Brother!" Edward paused in his antics. "I'm fine. Time already gave me a remedy. It's okay; I understand perfectly well why you couldn't tell me." Alphonse listed off patiently.

"Please tell me it's the vodka and aspirin." Edward said.

Alphonse took a moment to check before saying, "Yup."

Edward chuckled. "Wonderful. I'll join you. Ed, I'm gonna introduce you to the best thing ever!"

Ed looked on skeptically and stated, "I don't drink."

"You will now!"

"He's underage."

Edward froze as Alphonse's voice cut home. Ed-chan walked in the room. "I want vodka."

"Absolutely not." Alphonse said firmly. "Now, all of you, shoo."

Ed, Ed-chan, and Al-chan sulkily left the room. Edward grabbed the bottle from his hands. "Wanna play a drinking game?"

(XXhxaxpxpxyxxdxexpxrxexsxsxixoxnxxhxaxtxrxexdxxhxoxpxeXX)

"Ow…" Alphonse tried to push himself out of bed, but had trouble due to his pounding head. "My head…"

"That's because you drank so much; that's partially my fault though." Edward admitted. "I shouldn't have won all the drinking games. Here, aspirin."

Alphonse snatched the pill up and downed it with a glass of water. The headache immediately faded. "What kind of pill is this?" He asked, amazed that it was so quick and effective.

"Don't worry about it; it's not something that exists in this world yet." Edward said.

Alphonse carefully kept his face blank; he'd be in for more surprises later.

The door creaked open. "Is he feeling better?" Al-chan asked hesitantly.

"Yes, I'm fine." Alphonse answered. The door was immediately shoved open.

"It's our birthday today." Al-chan chirped. "I brought you a present. Here." He held out a neatly wrapped box, and Alphonse accepted it with thanks. Upon opening it, he found a teddy bear. Nice, but something that a little kid would like more.

"Here, Al-chan." He said, handing the bear back. "Hold on to him for a while, will you?"

Al-chan nodded eagerly. "Sure!"

Al was next to creep in. "Hey." He greeted. "I brought you something. Al-chan and I exchanged presents earlier."

Alphonse nearly ripped the long, rectangular box apart. He blinked in surprise. "Wow. This is nice. It's almost exactly like the wooden sword I was ogling earlier…" he trailed off, his gaze drifting far away before suddenly snapping back. "My god, it _is_ the sword I was ogling earlier!"

"Yeah, I thought it'd be nice to get it for you. Well, I still don't quite understand why you'd want a sword, but…" Al scratched the back of his helmet, more out of habit than because of an itch.

Alphonse nearly beamed. "Well, Ed has his automail arm that he can transmute into a weapon if needed. I think it's fair if I have a weapon of my own."

Edward, who had been patiently standing in the corner the entire time, protested with, "Hey, I never asked for this arm!"

His brother simply ignored him and continued by saying, "And I can always use my power to sharpen it."

"You mean alchemy?" Al-chan asked.

Alphonse smirked. "Nah, I've got something better now."

"Oh, and by the way, your presents are over there." Edward added after a moment, motioning to two boxes by the window.

Everyone glared at him. "You just ruined the moment." Alphonse muttered.

* * *

**End of Alphonse's story.**

**Hopefully this'll help to clarify future disappearances on his part. Well, it's been a long while, and I apologize for taking so longs. I had to stabilize the situation at school. (Does anyone notice how school/work gets in the way of our writing time?)**

**Anyway, hearts, I'm in an exceptionally good mood today.**

**Lea Cat**


	9. Chapter 9

**Here I am again; ready to deliver another chapter to you! A lot of my spare time went to planning and writing this, so please be kind to my little project. How are all of you? Was Halloween fun?**

**Disclaimer: If I owned FMA, I'd be the happiest person on earth. No joke.

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**

**Time  
By Lea Cat  
11/2/06

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**

"Dammit!"

Edward panted as he forced his way through briar bushes and trees. The plants didn't seem to take to this too kindly, and took every opportunity to tangle in his hair and clothes.

After he had jumped out the window, he had yanked open a temporary hole that would take him somewhere else. Unfortunately, the Armstrong property was quite large; Edward had found that he still had quite a ways to go to get off property, and then he still had somewhere to be.

He leaned against a tree and took in large gulps of air. His legs screamed that they were exhausted. He forced his tired legs to move just a little longer anyway; he was almost there…

His hand found the iron bars that surrounded the Armstrong property and he slumped down against them gratefully. A five minute breather, he told himself. Knowing that he'd slip into sleep if he relaxed too much, he looked around, trying to gauge where he was exiting the property. If his guess was correct, then he would be able to make it to his destination on time; now, how to get over the iron bars…

It took him only five seconds to get himself out. He carefully bent the aluminum bars back into place and transmuted them back to iron.

Edward wiped a hand across his forehead. "Dark, you are so dead when I find you…"

(XXhxaxpxpxyxxdxexpxrxexsxsxixoxnxxhxaxtxrxexdxxhxoxpxeXX)

"Edward, you are _so_ dead when I find you."

Alphonse's eye twitched ever so slightly in annoyance. His brother wasn't where he left him…and that was a bad sign. He looked at Al, who shook his head in a silent message: he wasn't in the library.

"Goddammit!!" Alphonse swore in frustration. He glared at nothing before snapping, "Al, Al-chan, I'm going to be gone for awhile; watch the others, will you?"

"Sure." Al-chan agreed cheerfully. Al nodded.

"Hurry back." He said. Alphonse smiled, and then ripped a hole to his gate. The hole sealed itself up behind him. Neither Al nor Al-chan seemed fazed by this in the slightest; oh, no, they were more fazed by the obscene noises Ed-chan was making.

"Dust bunnies…!" Ed-chan fell off the bed with a loud thump and sat up with a muffled curse. "Where are they?.!" He demanded, brandishing the first item to come to hand, which happened to be a broom.

Al and Al-chan stared at him.

(XXhxaxpxpxyxxdxexpxrxexsxsxixoxnxxhxaxtxrxexdxxhxoxpxeXX)

Alphonse closed his eyes, knowing that they would only hinder what he was about to do. Then he reached out and touched his gate. He was immediately pulled in, but unlike the rushing whirlpool that most felt, it was as tranquil as a calm lake. Alphonse knew it was only because he was the Guardian here; if he were to open his eyes, he would see things rushing by him, although none stirred movement from his hair.

He felt about, shifting through the information. How to attach a soul to an object; how to sacrifice a soul; how to sacrifice your _own_ soul; how to—

Alphonse abruptly cut connections, feeling a faint tugging, like a small child asking for attention. He turned his focus onto the piece of data, registering that it was not his own…

Ed! Alphonse realized with a flash of insight. This was one of _Ed's_. Well, it was his responsibility to return it; and then he noticed that it wasn't information at all, but a message.

_Hey, Alphonse, don't worry about me, I'm off doing something; a transaction. Go back to the others and wait for me to show up, okay? Do not, I repeat, do **not** come after me._

Alphonse wanted to hurt something, but he found it difficult to be angry when the small message was so gleeful about having accomplished its mission. It winked out of existence.

He turned and left his gate behind, tearing another hole in the fabric of space to get to where he wanted to be. These are really convenient, he thought ruefully. If only we had this when we were searching for the stone…

He shook that thought off and closed the rip behind him. A quick look showed that he was in the warehouse district. Again?.!

_Ed…you must really like warehouses or something…_

Another quick rip in space brought him to an alley between warehouses. He was about to go on when he heard wheezing sounds.

"Ed…?" Alphonse turned and walked towards the darker end of the alley. The breathing quieted, as if the owner was trying to hide. Alphonse leaned forward and caught a glimpse of blond hair. That was all he needed. "Brother!"

He crouched down to Edward's eye level. Upon investigation, he noticed that his brother was exhausted; slumped against the wall as if he couldn't move. He reached out to grab his arm, but Edward flinched away. "I'm sorry." He rasped out. "But…not now. I'm fine, really."

Alphonse didn't believe him, but said nothing. After a moment or two, he said, "C'mon, let's go." His brother stared at him for a second before actually reacting.

Edward pulled himself to his feet, stumbling but refusing any aid, and with one sluggish movement made a hole. As he slipped through, Alphonse blinked. For a moment, Edward had seemed…transparent almost. It was nothing, Alphonse convinced himself. He stepped through the hole just before it closed.

(XXhxaxpxpxyxxdxexpxrxexsxsxixoxnxxhxaxtxrxexdxxhxoxpxeXX)

"Ed, Ed-chan, I need to talk to you." Both looked up, one suffering from a hangover, and the other experiencing severe paranoia. "And Ed-chan, dust bunnies are inanimate objects; collections of dust. They can't hurt you." The tension seemed to leak out of the younger boy, and he sighed in relief.

"What is it?" Ed asked, miserable beyond belief. Edward seemed exasperated and flung something at him; he caught it by reflex. He opened his hand. "A pill?"

"Cures hangovers." Edward clarified. Ed downed it dry.

The hangover was gone in a matter of seconds. "I need to know where you got this." Ed said, thoroughly impressed.

Edward waved him off. "Something important has come up. Ed-chan, do you feel any different than normal?"

Ed-chan blinked and thought before answering, "Now that you mention it, yeah, kinda."

"In what way?"

"Like I'm being stretched too thin."

Edward nodded. "Ah. Well, that's not as bad is it could be. You're just feeling a little stretched out because you are literally in both the past and present."

Ed stared at Edward. "This is going somewhere important, isn't it?"

Edward gave him a scornful look. "Of course, I said that before I started. Well, while you were both out cold, I went to go inspect something."

"What?" Both Ed and Ed-chan asked at the same time.

"Would you let me finish?" Edward snapped. He then continued, "As I was saying, I went to inspect something. The message that Ed oh so kindly delivered to me before was telling me that he had information I might want. So I went to meet him while you were snoozing away."

"I can't help it, he spiked my drink!" Ed protested, pointing at Ed-chan accusingly.

"That reminds me, how did you manage to get your hands on alcohol? You're underage!" Edward exclaimed.

Ed-chan giggled before saying, "I stole it."

Edward nodded in understanding before going on. "So, I met up with him; we had a short skirmish, nothing serious. And then he hung the information on a fishing pole. Not literally of course." He hurriedly added. Ed-chan gave him a funny look but motioned for him to keep talking. "He convinced me to sit still for a moment and listen to him. So I sat and listened." His eyes shifted to his hands. "The information I received was…interesting."

"What was it?" Ed-chan asked, leaning forward.

"You are stretched thin across time. I am fading."

"What?.!"

Edward nodded again. "I don't exist in this time. Past and present may coexist, but the future is an uncertainty far ahead. I'm slipping away."

"Why?" Ed-chan whined. "You can't go. You're the only one who can help me get back!"

"Gee, thanks." Ed muttered.

Edward sighed. "There's not much I can do about it. I'll try not to overdo it. I should still have a few weeks left, though."

"Then let's make the most of it!" Ed declared, punching the air.

Edward nodded in agreement. Behind the connecting door, Alphonse sighed. "I knew it." He muttered. He moved to the bed before Edward could detect his presence. His brother was good at that.

Just in time, too. Edward flung open the door without knocking and shouted, "Okay, we're going to start researching _right now_. So let's get moving!"

He turned on his heel and left the way he came and exited through their bedroom. Everyone else stared after him before following.

_Damn, it smarts!_ Edward winced when no one was looking. _Fading hurts!_ He suppressed a groan when another wave of pain washed over him. It was force of will that kept him moving and visible.

He heard footsteps coming down the hallway after him; the others would catch up to him soon. He began the process of schooling his face to be cheerful, arrogant, and painless. It was cut short by the flooding of a fresh wave of pain. It was too much this time.

He dimly acknowledged that he had fallen to his knees. He heard the others' voices as if he was under water, but he was on fire at the same time. A gasp escaped his lips and it was all he could do not to thrash on the floor.

"Brother!" With his longer legs, Alphonse was the first to reach him. He tried to grab his brother's arm, but he passed through him like mist. Then he noticed that Edward was transparent.

_Ed, won't you wake up?_

_I…am…awake…_ He ground out.

"Brother, don't listen. Whatever you do, do _not_ listen!"

Edward pulled his head up feverishly and met his teenage self's eyes. He scrabbled for his hand; Ed readily gave it to him. Unlike Alphonse's hand, Ed made contact with him. "You don't look well…"

"No shit, Sherlock…"

"Sherlock? Who's that?"

Alphonse shut him up. "Never mind that. Just hold on and _don't let go._"

_Please come back._

Ed didn't notice a difference in Edward's grip on his hand; he did notice something was off. His adult self's eyes were clouding over and drooping. "You said you wouldn't overdo it."

Edward struggled to grasp Ed's hand, his lifeline, and not fall.

_You said not to live in the past. Wake up!_

Edward fell.

* * *

**Okay, hope that was good. I noticed that I seem to be favoring the adult Ed. Why is that? I find it really, really fun to write about him; I don't know why.**

**Well anyway, kudos to you all, love ya!**

**Lea Cat**


	10. Chapter 10

**It took awhile to smack this together, and I have to warn you, the next chapter may take awhile too.

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**Time  
By Lea Cat  
11/21/06

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**

Ed cursed as Edward slumped over.

"It's no use. He won't wake up. I think the only reason he's still here is because you're hanging onto him." Alphonse pointed at Ed and Edward's hands.

"Hey, why aren't you fading?" Ed asked him. "You're from the future too, so how are you here?"

Alphonse sighed and ruffled his hair, mindful of the many eyes on him as he formulated his answer. "Well, my connection to my other selves is a lot stronger than yours."

Ed paused before saying, "That is true."

"Your connection is just strong enough to tie a part of him here."

"What are we gonna do about the research?" Ed-chan spoke up.

"We'll handle it." Al volunteered. "You take care of yourself." Even though it sounded like a farewell, everyone knew what he meant.

"Can someone help me get him back?" Ed pleaded. "He's heavier than he looks."

(XXhxaxpxpxyxxdxexpxrxexsxsxixoxnxxhxaxtxrxexdxxhxoxpxeXX)

"I'm insulted." Edward sniffed. He could dimly hear them, but the words were sometimes hard to make out. He looked about himself and noticed a red cord tied around his waist. Curious, he followed it through the emptiness.

Who knew how long he walked before he came upon a strange sight.

The other end of the cord was tied to his body. His _real_ body. Back in the future. Or his present. He wasted no time in settling himself back in.

"Edward?"

He jolted up, eyes snapping open, and nearly ran into Noa. "Noa…?"

"You're back." Noa said in her soft, enthusiastic way.

Edward nodded. "I left Al behind…"

"He's not awake yet. Wait here, I'll get you something to eat." She padded out of the room, giving Edward a chance to think.

He pulled a hand through his bangs, and sighed. He gazed out the window.

_You said you'd help me._

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"Ed?" Ed-chan opened the door a little further, eliciting a creak from it. He found Ed sleeping in a chair next to the large bed, still clutching Edward's hand. Ed-chan gingerly shook him awake. "You've been here awhile; wanna take a break?"

Ed shook his head stubbornly. "We don't know if it's transferable…"

"Oh, get off it." Ed-chan huffed. "I'm _you_, you know! I am pretty sure that as long as one of us is here, it'll work."

Ed gave him a look and then moved over on the chair. Ed-chan sat down and grabbed Edward's hand. Carefully, Ed eased his hands out until he was no longer holding on. He stood up and stretched; sitting in one spot for five hours would do that to you.

Now that he thought about it, he was awfully hungry. Ed thanked his younger self and walked out of the room. He heard Ed-chan murmur something, but brushed it off and headed straight for the kitchen.

(XXhxaxpxpxyxxdxexpxrxexsxsxixoxnxxhxaxtxrxexdxxhxoxpxeXX)

"How's research going?"

Al-chan glanced up at Ed before replying, "It's going fine, Older Brother."

Ed sighed in exasperation, still hung up over the title. "Well, have you found anything important?"

Al-chan shook his head. "I wouldn't disturb the other two though, they seem like possessed demons. Maybe they're just better at this kind of stuff." He seemed a little envious.

"What are you so jealous of?" Alphonse asked from across the room.

"N-nothing!" was Al-chan's immediate reply. "I was just reading about something…"

A disinterested noise showed that Alphonse had stopped listening at 'nothing'.

"Well…I guess I won't disturb you. I think I'm going to sleep and then take my shift." Ed turned to leave, but stopped when Al-chan suddenly spoke.

"He'll come back, you know." There was a tone of confidence in his voice that came with being a child. "That's how it is. Besides…there's always _that_." Ed whipped his head around to catch a faint glimpse of a fading light in his brother's younger self. "Hm? What are you looking at?"

Ed decided it was best to say nothing and turned to leave.

(XXhxaxpxpxyxxdxexpxrxexsxsxixoxnxxhxaxtxrxexdxxhxoxpxeXX)

Ed-chan was distinctly aware of time ticking by. Ed came back and said something to him before leaving again. He didn't really care anymore.

Edward's hand was getting cold in his own. "Don't go." He muttered. "Come back. Don't leave me alone."

He hoped that his older self could hear him.

He leaned his head against his hands, and suddenly, an idea came to mind. Fishing out the coin Time gave him with his free hand, he held it up to the light and observed it.

"Can you help me?" He asked the coin. It seemed a little silly, but he didn't care. The coin glinted in response.

He placed the coin on Edward's faded hand. It glowed softly before slowly fading away.

"I hope this works."

(XXhxaxpxpxyxxdxexpxrxexsxsxixoxnxxhxaxtxrxexdxxhxoxpxeXX)

Edward continued to stare out the window, even when Noa brought him food.

"Edward?"

He tilted his head slightly to indicate that he was listening.

"What are you doing?"

_Don't go._

He turned his attention back to the sky. "I'm listening."

"To what?" Noa asked skeptically.

"The voices of the past. Don't you hear them?"

_Come back._

Noa placed a hand on his forehead. "Are you alright?"

He brushed her off a little angrily. "I'm _fine_." He growled.

"You don't seem to be." Noa commented in a concerned voice.

"Leave me alone." He grumbled.

_Don't leave me alone._

Edward nearly flinched. He contained it at the last moment. He felt hopeful thoughts coming from his younger self. What was he planning?

_I hope this works…_

A tingly feeling began to spread, starting from his left hand and spreading. He abruptly stood up and moved over to the bed, assuming he may need it soon.

Noa stared at him questioningly. "Edward…?"

"I'm sorry, Noa." Edward apologized, aware that the woman would feel very alone. "I don't think I can stay long."

She gasped, her eyes widening. "No! Don't go, don't go!"

"I have to. Can't you hear? They're calling." Edward's eyes focused on the sky outside the window. "Don't worry. I'll come back, I promise."

The last thing he saw before darkness swallowed him was Noa's desperate, pleading gaze.

(XXhxaxpxpxyxxdxexpxrxexsxsxixoxnxxhxaxtxrxexdxxhxoxpxeXX)

Ed snapped awake.

There was something odd going on in the next room.

He wasted no time in scrambling over to where his other selves were. "Ed-chan?" He asked, the simple inquiry carrying more questions than a single sheet of paper could hold.

"Shhh." Ed-chan hushed him, concentrating on Edward's hand. For a moment, the teen was befuddled; what was so interesting? And then he saw it.

Edward's hand was slowly becoming solid, although the rate was so slow, it didn't seem to be happening at all. Ed rushed over to the bed, grabbing onto Edward's other hand. "How long will we have to wait?"

"Not long." Ed-chan replied. "He'll come back. I know he will."

* * *

**I know that Thanksgiving is coming up and that the break would be a GREAT opportunity to write, but unfortunately, I'm using that time to work off some of the stress that's built up from school. Also, one of my teachers decided it was the perfect time to assign a project. So, I have no guarantees about when the next chapter is coming out. I CAN say that I will get it out as soon as possible.**

**Well, ja for now!  
Lea Cat**


	11. Chapter 11

**Inspiration, beautiful inspiration has finally decided to grace me with her presence. Ah. Wonderful. I even have a few chapters sketched out. Depending on review rate, expect the next chapters to appear quickly.

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**

**Time  
****By Lea Cat  
****12/27/06

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**

_What are you doing?_

There was nothing around him. How long had he been here anywhere? He faintly recalled trying to get somewhere…

_You've been here past your time._

Idiot. Of course he knew that. Tell him something he didn't know. He absently shuffled through some interesting information.

_Fine. In the future, you'll die to protect yourself._

…? What the hell?

_Shoo. Get out. Go away. Just stop bothering me and using up valuable space._

How was he supposed to get out? Which way was out anyway? He didn't even have hands.

_Remember who you are, Guardian._

He mentally snapped his fingers. That's right! Then, that must mean…

_Yes. You've got it completely figured out. I hope that helps._

He would make very good use of the information he had acquired.

(XXhxaxpxpxyxxdxexpxrxexsxsxixoxnxxhxaxtxrxexdxxhxoxpxeXX)

Edward groaned as he pulled himself back into his body. He never noticed it before, but the one in the past didn't feel very…comfortable.

He tried to sit up, only to find that there was something heavy on top of him. He looked down, expecting to find anything but Ed-chan curled up on top of him. Startled, he fell back against the pillow violently, causing the bed and the boy on his stomach to move. He contemplated how to get out without anyone noticing.

Unfortunately, the shaking of the bed had caught the attention of the other occupant. "You're awake." Ed commented. "You've been out for three days, you know."

Edward flinched. "Sorry about that." He was very conscious of the stare digging into his head, even if he didn't look at the other boy.

"So…what happened?"

Edward's head jerked up. He'd been expecting a shouting match, not a question. "I really don't belong in this time. It's like what they always say, 'You can't change the past, but the future has yet to be written'. I keep thinking I can fix the past by helping you guys, but I'm not even sure if I can." He gave a nervous laugh before continuing, "I was being called back to the future. And then I got called back here. God, I'm popular." He joked, trying to lighten the mood. It worked, as Ed's lips twitched upwards.

"Bastard. You could have given us a head's up."

Edward was offended. "I did! What did you think the whole collapsing thing was; an attempt to knock myself out?" Ed-chan stirred on his stomach, and he lowered his voice. "I tried; there wasn't much I could do. But I have important information now, and I intend to make good use of it."

Ed raised an eyebrow. "Oh? So, what is it?"

Edward gave a mischievous grin. "That's for me to know and you to find out."

"Damn." Ed pouted.

"Shut up." Ed-chan groaned.

Both of the older Eds immediately quieted and waited for Ed-chan to settle before continuing their argument in a quieter tone. "Why can't you tell me?" Ed asked.

"It's a Guardian thing." Edward replied absentmindedly. He turned to stare out the window, sensing what was coming before it happened.

"Sure…" Ed trailed off as he noticed his older counterpart wasn't listening. "Hey, what are you—?"

"Shut up!" Edward said quickly before going quiet again.

_Plip._

Ed's eyes widened a fraction.

_Plip. Plop._

Edward raised his head to acknowledge the trickle of water coming from the ceiling. "Psiren." He said in acknowledgement.

"Hey there." She purred, and then blinked as she registered the sight of three Eds. "Well, well, what have we here? Don't tell me; another alchemy accident?"

"Yup." Edward chirped. "But this one's different. Now, do me a favor and send a message to Time, will you?"

The phantom thief glared and said, "That's it? If you can call me, why can't you call her?"

"She's out of my range. And I'm assigned to bed rest." Ed nearly ducked when Edward's gaze landed on him. "Oh, and while you're at it, go fetch Space too."

"I am not a messenger!" Clara growled, even as she melted away.

"Okay, what the frick?" Ed exclaimed the moment she was gone. "How'd she get out of prison?"

"She's the Guardian of Water, numbskull. There isn't much that can detain a Guardian when they want to leave." Edward stated, as he twiddled his fingers. He knew what his counterpart was thinking; oh, he knew alright. Question was, did he want to acknowledge that Ed knew that he knew that Ed knew that he knew what Ed was thinking? Hm, odd thought there. Before Ed could so much as open his mouth, Edward said, "No, I refuse. And while you're at it, you can cross numbers 4 and 16 off your list; they're just flat out stupid. 8 and 9 are a bit ridiculous, but they could work. J personally like number 24; smart thinking right there, but it won't help you any. Don't be offended," he added when Ed looked miffed. "I don't mind you making a list of ideas on how to get me to spill, but I'm way ahead of you."

"You have got to tell me how the hell you do that." Ed and the recently awoken Ed-chan grumbled. Ed was momentarily distracted by the awakening of Ed-chan.

"Squirt! You're up!" Ed exclaimed cheerfully. For some reason, the 'squirt' part wasn't so offending when you heard it from yourself.

"I've _been_ awake, dumbass." Ed-chan mumbled. If Ed got to call him squirt, he could insult back, right? Somehow, Ed knew just what he was thinking, because he only laughed.

"Glad you're all cheery," Edward interrupted in an eerily happy tone, "but you'll have to save it. We've got guests."

Ed and Ed-chan nearly jumped out of their skin when they found two new people in the room. How they got there was anybody's guess. "Hey there." The girl to the left waved. She was slim, and had familiar spiky platinum blond hair.

"You!" Ed-chan yelled out gleefully before he glomped her.

"ACK! Help! Help!" The girl pretended to flounder for a bit, before her male companion decided to take pity and 'rescue' her. "Ah…thanks Space."

"No problem, sis." The boy replied. He was as slim as his sister and his shoulder length platinum blond hair put him in danger of being categorized a girl. Not that he cared, anyway.

"Yo! What's up?" Edward greeted casually, as if they were long time friends (which Ed wouldn't doubt).

"Hey, are they twins or something?" Ed asked, watching the way the two newcomers moved about in synch.

"Got it in one." They grinned at the same time. Seeing Ed's slight shudder, they proceeded to speak together. "You know—"

"—what they say—"

"—about Time—"

"—and Space—"

"—going hand in hand—"

"—or being related—"

"—or something like that." They finished together. Ed was hiding his twitching very well, but Edward could see his hand trembling behind his back.

"Stop scaring him you two." Edward reprimanded them. "And let's get down to business."

"Yeah. Sorry it took me so long to get here." Alphonse added. Ed's head turned very quickly.

"Where'd you come from?" He demanded.

"Why, my mom and dad, of course." Alphonse replied in an overly sweet way. "Unless you're referring to how I got in the room. In that case, I simply walked through the door. I'm sure everyone else here did the same." Everyone else nodded while Ed scowled.

"Why are you all here, anyway?" Ed asked, his tone indicating that his pride was hurt.

"I thought it would be beneficial if you all knew what I know." Edward said. "Now, Time, if you would start?"

Time pouted and stared. "This is your fault, Sis, so just fix it, will ya?" Space prodded.

"Fine. Well, you all know that time can't be changed, right?" Nods all around. "Yes, well, none of you, except for the ones farthest in the future," she nodded at Edward and Alphonse, "will remember any of this."

"What?" Ed-chan and Ed asked in disbelief. Ed-chan continued. "How can we just _forget_ this?"

"That's it, you won't." Edward said. "I distinctly recall going through this several times, though…" His statement was met with several blank stares. "What? This would be my third time, now. I only just remembered though, and NO, I will not disclose any information. Alphonse won't either." He added hurriedly, as several stares relocated themselves.

"Brother," Three sets of eyes swiveled to the door. "Um…" Al-chan seemed to struggle for words for a moment. "…we…we heard about a homunculus in the market district…"

The moment Edward heard homunculus, he was out of bed, and Alphonse began scrambling for his sword. "Thanks, Al-chan!" Edward yelled, before he jumped out the window.

Ed and Ed-chan turned to look questioningly at the strangers, but found only Space. Space simply shrugged. "My sister is a big fan of Light's; and it's not everyday you get to see the infamous Guardian at work." He saluted. "See ya!" And then he was gone. No poof, or rip in space, just there and then not.

Ed slumped on the nearest chair and moaned into his hands. "Ugh. I think things just got worse…"

Ed-chan could only nod in agreement. Then he looked mischievously out the window and said, "Do you wanna follow?" Ed's reply was to grin wickedly.


	12. Chapter 12

**A little shorter than usual, but I thought it was a good place to stop, so I did. For all those really obsessed with everything FMA related, see if you can catch a quote in here. If you can find it and tell me where it's from, you get a cookie. I'll warn you though…it's really subtle and hard to find.

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**

**Time  
****By Lea Cat  
****1/12/07

* * *

**

"He's gonna kill us."

"You might wanna change that; he's gonna kill us if we get out of here alive."

Ed-chan made a face at Ed, while silently tugging at the cuffs around his wrists. There was nothing to draw an array with; no loose stones, no nails, nothing. He stared at Ed. His counter-part was probably worse off and he didn't seem as bothered as Ed-chan. Ed's automail, both the arm and leg, were removed, and he was hanging from the ceiling by his flesh arm. "You know, maybe following them wasn't such a good idea."

"Oh, well, I kinda figured that when WE GOT CAUGHT!.!" Ed yelled, waving his remaining limbs. His movement caused him to swing slowly, tap against the wall, swing away, and repeat the process.

Ed-chan spoke up when Ed stopped moving. "How was I supposed to know that it was a trap?" The homunculi were smarter than he gave them credit for. When Edward and Alphonse had left to go check out the homunculus in the market district, the remaining homunculi had doubled back for them. And now, they were trapped, somewhere where Edward couldn't sense them, probably.

"Ugh…my stomach is killing me…when do they serve food?" Ed whined, as his stomach grumbled.

Ed-chan gave him a disbelieving look. "We are stuck somewhere, in the homunculi's hideout, with no hope of getting out, and you're thinking of food?"

"Hey, my automail burns a lot of energy, you know!" Ed cried indignantly.

"But it's not hooked up to you now, is it?" Ed-chan pointed out.

"Argh…you make me so…MAD…." Ed huffed. "Why'd I get stuck with you?"

"Because I got caught with you."

"SHADDUP!"

Ed-chan stuck his tongue out. "You can't make me." He paused and stared at Ed. "Hey…did you ever notice how Edward had trouble looking us in the eye?"

"Yeah…" Ed said. "But then again, I had trouble looking you in the eye too."

"Why?"

"Well…" _A disfigured creature with his mother's eyes stared back at him, it couldn't be his mother; it couldn't._ "…I would look at you…and remember things…" _Give him back! You can have my arms, my legs, even my heart, so please…give him back! He's my only brother! _"…things…I don't want to remember…" He gave a shaky smile. _The pain…it hurt, make it stop! Al, Al, I'm sorry, I'm so sorry…_ His smile disappeared. "It still happens, you know. Sometimes, I look at you and it hits me. It's probably much worse for Edward."

Ed-chan stared curiously, but didn't question it. Ed was looking pretty unsteady now. "I'm sure Edward will come soon. Let's just hope he doesn't kill us." He added under his breath.

(XXhxaxpxpxyxxdxexpxrxexsxsxixoxnxxhxaxtxrxexdxxhxoxpxeXX)

"I am gonna KILL THEM!.!.!" Edward yelled at the top of his lungs. Birds took off from nearby trees. "I am gonna roast them, decapitate them, and kill them in the most painful way possible!.!"

"Brother…you can't kill them, they're you." Alphonse said.

"Well, I can heavily maim them, can't I?" Edward asked with a glint in his eye. Alphonse inwardly shuddered, and he suddenly felt bad for the younger counterparts of his brother.

"You have to find them first." Alphonse looked at the scrap of paper he held. "'A common meeting place, but a spot you'd never think to go to, the magic number is 3 times 2.'" Alphonse looked up, "Brother, maybe they mean the warehouse district?" Edward raised an eyebrow. "Well, you do go there a lot. And 3 times 2 is 6, so that could be warehouse 6." Alphonse hastened to explain.

Edward found himself nodding in agreement. Even though he was angry as hell, he was still worried. What if he didn't get there in time? What if something horrible happened to them? He knew they'd be fine, he remembered it, but still…

…he couldn't exactly stop himself from worrying.

"Come on, Al, let's go." Edward began to head for the warehouse district. Whoever was holding his younger selves hostage had better hope they had life insurance.

(XXhxaxpxpxyxxdxexpxrxexsxsxixoxnxxhxaxtxrxexdxxhxoxpxeXX)

"I'm boooored…" Ed-chan whined from the floor. "So bored…" He glanced up at Ed. "Hey, what are you humming?"

Ed barely spared him a glance. "I don't know. I've known this song for a while, but I can't remember where I heard it from."

Ed-chan was silent for a bit, listening to the haunting melody that Ed hummed under his breath. "It's a nice melody, but sad. I wonder if there are words to it."

"There are, but I don't know them. Or can't remember." Ed chuckled darkly. His look became darker, and he stared at the door.

"Ed, he's coming closer!" Ed-chan suddenly exclaimed. "I can feel him! That means that he's been feeling us for a while." Ed-chan forced his feeling to home in on Edward. He felt a tendril of familiarity, of Edward, reach out to brush his mind.

_Ed, Ed-chan, are you alright?_

Both boys gasped before bursting into rushed explanations. _It wasn't my idea—_

_It was a trap, a trap—_

—_we're somewhere dark and damp and COLD—_

—_they were coming back for us, so maybe—_

—_and I'm HUNGRY._

—_what if Al and Al-chan got caught too?_

_WHOA, WHOA, SLOW DOWN. One at a time! I can't understand both of you!_ Edward mentally yelled out. They were giving him a headache.

Ed-chan took the liberty of going first. _It was a trap. They were coming to get us anyway. Are Al and Al-chan okay?_

_Yeah, they're fine. Both are pissed off at you though. Although not as much as me. WHAT THE HELL WERE YOU TWO THINKING? HUH? JUST WAIT UNTIL I GET MY HANDS ON YOU— _

Edward's connection abruptly broke, and Ed shared a look with Ed-chan.

"Maybe we should hope he _doesn't_ come."

(XXhxaxpxpxyxxdxexpxrxexsxsxixoxnxxhxaxtxrxexdxxhxoxpxeXX)

"Goddammit." Edward swore viciously, even as he used his automail arm to bat away Lust's nails. "Alphonse! Go get them!" His brother nodded an affirmative before darting forward, skirting around Lust, and running through the corridor Lust guarded. Lust began to follow, but was forced to stop when Edward grabbed one of her 'lances' and began hacking away. He gave a sickeningly cheerful smile. "Nope, not letting you go."

"This will happen again and again." Lust said, ignoring the pain and sending more of her lance like fingers his way. "You know that as well as I do."

"Shut up!" Edward growled, leaping over her nails and forward to swing his blade at her.

Lust dodged, even as she swung another set of claws at Edward. "It's a loop in time. It'll keep happening, over and over."

"I know!" He yelled, ducking and rolling under her swipe in an effort to get closer. "This is my third and final time through the loop."

"Who says it's your last?" She asked, dancing away effortlessly, just out of his reach. "Even if you kill me here, it won't accomplish anything; essentially, everything you do will be erased."

Edward's golden eyes sparked with an inner fire, and he clapped his hands. "Oh?" He asked, dangerously calm. "I'll have you know, that not everything will be gone."

"Nothing you do matters; Dante said—"

"Dante knows nothing!" And he dove at her, so suddenly; she had no time to dodge. The moment his hands touched her, she began to glow. Lust shrieked and tried to claw at Edward, who simply scrambled away as quickly as possible. "See you in hell." Edward whispered as the Gate creaked open.

Lust gave a cruel, sadistic smile. "Dante remembers too."

Edward felt his blood run cold, as the Gate clanged shut before him.

* * *

**Not quite the way I wanted it. Ugh, fight scenes are so hard to write! And it was so short too! (Sigh)**

**Well, I've been thinking, and I've decided that the one hundredth reviewer can request a drabble using the characters from Time. A short little thing, but a treat none the less.**

**Ja!  
****Lea Cat**


	13. Chapter 13

**Yo, long time no see. I realize I haven't updated in a while, but my school life has been pretty hectic. In fact, the only reason I have time now is because of a snow day. So, without further ado, I give you unlucky chapter 13.

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**

**Time  
By Lea Cat  
2/13/07

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**

"Edward!"

Dante remembered…Dante _knew_. Dante…she had to forget some of it every time, otherwise she'd be successful in her plans. So…maybe she just lost a portion of it every time, instead of losing all of it like she was supposed to.

"Edward?"

But that made absolutely no sense. Then again, he remembered a little bit every time…

"Edward!.!" He found himself being shaken by the shoulders. Alphonse stared him in the eye. "Are you okay? You were just standing there and you weren't saying anything or even responding!"

"I'm fine." He muttered, waving his brother off. Wait a moment…his head snapped up, and he looked about for Ed and Ed-chan. He found them trying to hide behind the other. He snorted. Like that would keep him from finding them. "Hey." Both of his younger counter-parts froze as if they were committing a horrible crime. "What--" He took a menacing step towards the frozen boys, "--the hell--" Another step, "--were--" He stopped in front of them. "--you THINKING?.!" He yelled. If possible, they shrunk back further, as if trying to disappear. "I SHOULD KILL YOU, RIP YOU LIMB TO LIMB, GIVE YOU TO SENSEI—" When Ed and Ed-chan flinched at the last, Edward grinned wickedly. "Well, I _can_ give you over to Sensei…"

"No! Don't do it!" Both Ed and Ed-chan nearly threw themselves at his feet. "We're sorry! We won't do it again!.!"

Edward huffed. "Fine." Both boys sighed in relief. "But we're still going." He added.

(XXhxaxpxpxyxxdxexpxrxexsxsxixoxnxxhxaxtxrxexdxxhxoxpxeXX)

_Knock, Knock._

A large, burly man answered the door. Edward grinned cheerfully. "Hello Sig, is Sensei in?"

"Edward…?" The large man reached out and rubbed his head "You've grown."

"No time." Edward said, pulling Sig's hand off his head. "We need to see Sensei."

"Sure. Mason, take care of the shop!" Sig began herding them all towards the back. "Izumi, the Elric boys are here to see you." He called into a window.

Ed-chan began to tremble while Ed merely sweated. Edward seemed very calm and composed. "Ed and Al?" A light tenor floated out the window. Sig grunted a confirmative.

Not five minutes later, the door flung open, and Ed-chan was the first to go flying. Ed was promptly punched in the face. Edward, standing to the side, safely out of reach, smirked and waved at Izumi. "Hello, Sensei."

Izumi either didn't notice him or chose to ignore him. "Ed! How dare you show your face around here!.!"

"Sensei…"

"What?.!" She snapped.

Edward sighed, realizing that approach was not working. "Guardian of Blood." He gave a short, curt bow.

Izumi's expression was a mix of surprise, confusion, and barely contained hostility. She bowed back before barking out, "What the hell?"

"Alchemy accident. My younger self brought both me and another younger version to this time. Happened to Al, too." Edward jerked a thumb towards where Al-chan was hiding behind Al. Alphonse, to all appearances, had disappeared. "Alphonse! Get out here!" When there was no reaction, Edward frowned. "Don't make me tell them about the time you mistook my fuel experiment as baking soda—"

"Alright, alright!" Alphonse yelled, jumping out of a tree. "Geez…no need to get spastic…"

Izumi frowned. "So, there's three of each of you, a future, a present, and a past. Right?" Edward nodded a confirmative.

Ed, having pulled himself together, said, "The funny thing is, we have a mental connection and this has apparently happened before."

This time, it was Edward's turn to frown. "I should hope we have a mental connection. We're the same person."

"SHUT UP!"

"Hello, Sensei." Ed-chan tugged on Izumi's sleeve as his older selves bickered.

"Hello, Ed-chan. You haven't joined the military yet, have you?" Izumi asked, her eyes promising death if he answered wrong.

Ed-chan gulped and said, "No, ma'am."

"Good." Izumi brought her attention back to the fight just in time to see Ed crash into a tree.

"Hey! That was a cheap shot!" Ed yelled the moment he righted himself.

Edward scoffed. "You weren't paying attention. Besides, the best way to win an argument is to knock the other person out."

"Why you—"

"Why are you here?"

Edward's fast reflexes were what allowed him to stop Ed's tackle with a hand to his head. "Um…because we kinda need your help?" Misinterpreting her dark look, he hurried to add, "Don't worry; if you're thinking it's a waste of time, you won't even remember it."

"How did it happen?"

"My fault." Time admitted, suddenly sitting by the door. "A long, long time ago, really long ago, my predecessor made a mistake. Since then, all Guardians of Time have been trying to fix it. It's not working."

"A long…long time ago?" Ed-chan asked curiously.

"Hey, do you even know how fast we age? I was born FAR in the future, you know!" Time exclaimed. She suddenly sighed and became somber. "When you're the Guardian of Time, your years are spent in other times…my predecessor was born before I was, did you know that?"

"Then…how would it be a long, long time ago?" Ed-chan asked in a way only a little kid could.

Time nearly smacked herself in the face. "Listen. We measure time in a different way, because we really aren't part of your time flow. I am 17 years old. Add the ages of my predecessors. The predecessor that messed up died around 3000 years ago in OUR TIME. In fact, I think I met him once…"

Edward clapped his hands together. "Moving on, cuz we don't really care." He stated. "Blood, do you think we could room here for a while? Just a bit."

"Just long enough to forget the Armstrongs." Ed added under his breath. Ed-chan nodded in agreement.

"Fine." Izumi sighed after a moment of hesitation. "But if you get in the way, there will be a world of pain to deal with."

"Yes ma'am!" Edward and Ed snapped into a perfect salute while Ed-chan sloppily imitated.

"Get in the house." Izumi ordered. "You're messing up my garden." All of the Elrics hurried to get inside. "And don't break anything!" She yelled, just as a crash resounded from inside. It was suspiciously quiet.

Izumi sighed.

(XXhxaxpxpxyxxdxexpxrxexsxsxixoxnxxhxaxtxrxexdxxhxoxpxeXX)

"So, what are we doing here?" Ed-chan asked.

Ed flopped on the bed. "We're relaxing. At least, that's what _he_ said." He jerked a thumb out the window to where Edward was sitting in a tree.

For a moment, all that could be heard was birds twittering. Then a soft, sad, but familiar melody drifted up to their ears. Both Ed and Ed-chan scurried towards the window where Al and Al-chan were already situated, hoping to get a better hearing. "That's the melody you were humming!" Ed-chan exclaimed. Ed could only nod in agreement.

Edward was singing as he lay in the tree:

_How can I repay you, brother mine?_

_How can I expect you to forgive?_

_Clinging to the past, I shared our blood,_

_And shattered your chance to live._

Ed spotted Alphonse walk towards the tree and stand beneath it, simply listening. Ed suspected that Edward knew too, but didn't stop singing.

_Though I knew the laws, I paid no heed._

_How can I return your wasted breath?_

_What I did not know has cost you dear,_

_For there is no cure for…death…_

Edward's eyes slowly drifted close and the melody became louder, as if he knew he had an audience.

_Beautiful mother, soft and sweet,_

_Once you were gone, we were not complete._

_Back through the years, we reached for you,_

_Alas, t'was not meant to be._

_And how can I make amends_

_For all that I took from you?_

_I led you with hopeless dreams,_

_My brother, I was a fool._

Edward continued humming, although he had stopped singing. Ed's hopes fell a little. There was more to the song, and he had been hoping to learn all the words. And then Alphonse began to sing:

_Don't cry for the past now, brother mine,_

_Neither you nor I are free from blame._

_Nothing can erase the things we did,_

_For the path we took was the same._

Edward bolted up, as if he had been caught doing something wrong, and then stared down at Alphonse in surprise and…relief?

_Beautiful mother, soft and sweet,_

_Once you were gone, we were not complete._

_Back through the years, we reached for you,_

_Alas, t'was not meant to be._

_My dreams made me blind in youth,_

_I long to return to that time._

_I followed without a word,_

_My brother, the fault is mine._

When Alphonse stopped, Edward began the last verse.

_So where do we go from here?_

_And how to forget and forgive?_

_What's gone is forever lost,_

_Now all we can do is live…_

Alphonse gave Edward a soft smile and said, "Old melody, huh."

"Yeah." Edward nodded down, still in the tree. "I wrote my part, and you wrote yours. I still don't know why I wrote mine that way. Well, I do _now_, but I didn't back then."

Alphonse's smile turned into a full blown grin. "Well, I knew. I always did subconsciously remember more than you."

Edward laughed freely. After he and Alphonse stopped laughing, he murmured a quiet, "Thanks. I needed to hear that."

Alphonse placed a hand on the trunk of the tree and tilted his head back, staring at Edward. His hair was out of his ponytail for once, and it hung around his head like an aureate halo. "Brother?"

"Hm?"

"How much longer do you think—?"

Edward interrupted him, aware that their audience was absorbing every word. "Not much. I know what I need to do now. I'll shatter the illusion." He closed his eyes, his words ringing with a sense of finality that alarmed the occupants of the upstairs room. "This time, I'll try not to die."

* * *

**I have this horrible guilt trip every time I think about how slow I am on updating. I know I'm a really slow writer, and I appreciate that all of you have still insisted on reading my story. This humble writer thanks you from the bottom of her heart.**

**On a side note, the song is Brothers, and I do not own it.**

**Lea Cat**


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